The Elementals
by aliceindeepdarkwonderland
Summary: Hi, my name's Alexis. This is my messed up life from joining the Avengers to who knows where? OC/Loki Disclaimer: I only own my OC's
1. Chapter 1

**A/n update: Hi everyone, I know the first 15 chapters suck big time, but this was my first fanfiction and it took a while to get the hang of writing. Please give it a chance, and I promise it gets better**

**Chapter 1: Meet and greet**

The team crowded round the meeting table on the Helicarrier, talking quietly. Fury had called them in saying he needed to have a special meeting. On the way there Clint and Tony had placed bets on what the meeting was about and like always the stakes were high. Natasha had just rolled her eyes; they were nowhere near. Agent Hill had told her the day before because she wanted someone on the team to know, and she trusted Natasha to deal with the situation best. Tony was going to hate it, they'd agreed. It was a pity that Thor was back in Asgard, because this was his kind of thing.

When Fury finally walked into the room, they all hushed down and all looked expectantly at the man, although it took a patient glare to shut Stark up.

"This meeting is extremely important as it addresses the recent problems within the dynamic of the team..." Fury began.

While Fury started rambling on about how the team wasn't functioning at its best, Natasha slipped out the room without anyone noticing. When Steve noticed, he just brushed it off and didn't say anything. It wouldn't be the first time she's done it, he thought. She often left meeting halfway through, normally because she already knew what was happening, or had to go retrieve something for Fury.

Half way through Fury's rant, Stark piped up. "Get to the point, I've got a press conference in Miami in 4 hours, and we're in the middle of the Atlantic. Come on, big man." He didn't actually have a meeting, but he wanted to get off.

"Fine then Stark, here's the point. The team is failing, and we've decided to take drastic measures. As of today, the Avengers will have 2 more members. Natasha, please bring in The Elementals."

Natasha came in, bringing with her two teenagers, a boy and a girl. The boy looked around with a sense of wonder, like he couldn't believe where he was. He was Caucasian with blue eye; his sandy hair was ruffled, and he was about 4 inches taller than Natasha. He had his hands stuck in his jeans, and his dip-dyed t-shirt hung off his skinny frame. He obviously hadn't fed well for a while but he still had a glow healthy glow. The girl was the complete opposite. She was petite, with jet black hair, with the occasional red streak, and was tense and defensive, obviously ready for problems. She wore all black, and her clothes were simple and easy to move in. She was clearly a fighter and eyed up each member of the room, assessing the team structure and who would be easiest to defeat. She continuously flicked her eyes towards Fury and Natasha, disgust and distrust clear in her eyes, and kept her fists clenched while muttering under her breath, however no one could understand what she was saying, even Natasha. Fury left the room, leaving the Avengers to sort the situation out. He knew that if it situation started going badly that Natasha would be able to sort it out.

"Hey Red, she's like a Goth version of you!" said Clint with glee. He quite liked children, and thought of himself as an annoying older brother. His eyes settled on the boy, and found that he was very similar to himself, in stature at least. Bruce realised that the situation wasn't going to go well and left the room to avoid a confrontation with the Big Guy. Steve and Tony shared a look, wondering which teen was most dangerous, and what the hell Fury was thinking. The Avengers wasn't a place for children; that was one thing they both agreed on.

At Clint's comment, the girl turned around. "What did you just say?" As she spoke, the temperature of the room suddenly rose 10 degrees, seemingly radiating from the girl. "I am NOT a Goth version of anyone so just shut up so we can get this stupid meet and greet over and done with." She clenched her fists even tighter and the muttering became even more frantic.

Steve saw that friction was beginning to form between the girl and the team so tried to diffuse the situation while getting more information on the newcomers. "Well then, let's get on with it. Let's start with what's your names, and why did Fury call you The Elementals? Also, do you have codenames yet that we should know about?"

The boy piped up, after staying silent while standing by Natasha. He seemed a lot perkier than his friend, and a lot more open. "Well, I'm Luke, and the moody cow over there is Alexis. The reason we're called The Elementals is self-explanatory. I control earth and water, and Alexis controls fire and air along with-"

Alexis glared at him and he trailed off; there were obviously some secrets between them that they didn't want to reveal.

"Put us together and we have limited control over ice, although we haven't had chance to folly experiment with what our combined powers can do. We've had to look out for each other over the years so we work well as partners; I'd be in Switzerland right now if it wasn't for the fact that we work a lot better together because we know our fighting styles and we have….other advantages."

He smiled slightly at Alexis, proud at himself for self-editing his speech, but she just rolled her eyes and motioned for him to get on with it.

"We've done stuff we're not proud of and in the process we've gained the interest of a lot of people. We reached a compromise with Shield that benefits both parties and allows us to redeem ourselves." Alexis glared at him in disbelief; she didn't understand that he was just trying to help her integrate.

Alexis muttered under her breath, audibly this time, "You're the one who wants redemption, all I want is to be left alone and fit in." Tony felt sorry for her; he knew from his talks with Bruce that he felt a similar way.

"We're all to be involved in training them, although Clint and I will be the main liaison between Shield and them. If there are any problems, please speak to me or Agent Hill so they can be sorted out." announced Natasha to the team.

"Fine then, if we have no choice in this we might as well get on and accept that they're part of the team. Shall we get back to the tower then and let Merlin and Willow Rosenberg choose their rooms?" Tony said, making for the door, but was abruptly stopped by the fact that he'd just received a fire ball to the back. Alexis stalked up behind him, hands glowing slightly along with her eyes, and crouched down, placing her hands just behind his head.

"Never call me that or I will slowly and painfully end your existence, understand Stark? There may be a likeness between me and that stupid fictional witch, but this is something that I was born with, and would give anything to get rid of." Alexis whispered in his ear, while taking all the air from his lungs using her magic. He nodded in understanding. She stood up and turned to the rest of the room, who were all standing with their hands on their weapons, ready to intervene if required, all except Luke. He was looking at her with a look of amusement, but still took a step forward, ready to step in if he had to.

"Anyone else got a problem?" They all shook their heads slightly, weary of the small girl. She wasn't Good. Now are we going, or do I have to learn to fly the Quinjets?" Alexis asked rhetorically, one hand on her hip and an expectant look on her face. Luke laughed, a rich baritone, and Alexis smirked. Natasha shook her head in exasperation at their childish behaviour, and led the team, along with their new recruits, to the Quinjet so they could return to the Avengers Tower.

None of them noticed a shadow in the corner in the shape of a human figure, although Alexis had looked over there a few time with a confused look, as if she sensed something. Once they'd all left the room, the shadow solidified into the shape of Loki. A wide Cheshire cat smile spread across the demigod's face. "Well then, what have we got here?" Loki said to himself, amused because he knew perfectly well what it was, and then picked the folder on the table. "They shall make good minions; well at least the girl should." The god started to laugh, but by the time an agent followed the sound to the room, he'd gone. The agent didn't notice that the file was missing so continued on their way.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Call it history

Alexis was sitting in her new bed, in her new room, in her new "home" and hated it. Even though this was what she always wanted, she didn't want to gain it this way. She didn't want to be there, and wasn't planning to stay there long. They seemed nice people, the Avengers, but she couldn't get attached. Getting attached to people meant she would be compromised, weak even. She couldn't let that happen.

_Then what was Luke_? A small voice in the back of her mind muttered; the voice had taunted her for years, telling her she wasn't enough, she wasn't worthy of her powers, that her family were right to reject her. She'd been rejected all her life, so when her powers started to develop she pulled back from social situations even more than before, but she missed the contact with people. She always had to strive to get any praise off her parents, so when her powers developed she thought it would make her special in her parents eyes, but it just made them hate her even more.

Suddenly she doubled over in pain, fear spreading through her body. She started to panic until she realised why. It was something that used to happen a lot, but every time she worried that it was something so much worse.

"Luke" she whispered, and ran out the door to Luke's room which was down the hallway.

When she got to his door, she could hear his sobs through the door. "Luke let me in, it's Lexi." She didn't get a reply. The sense of fear was spreading all through her stomach and she was starting to shake. "Luke! Let me help!" she shouted. There was no answer. "Alright then, we'll do it the hard way" she muttered and kicked the door down.

The room was a mess. It was similar size to Alexis's and looked like it originally had a similar lay out but didn't any longer. There were tables turned over, pillows shredded, everything was a mess. Sat in the middle, curled into a small ball and covered in blankets, was Luke. Sobs racked his lanky figure, his hair even more dishevelled than normal. His hands were slightly blue and a small puddle of water pooled around them.

Luke's POV

They were coming for him again, his demons. He could see them crowding around him, taunting him, telling him he wasn't worthy of anything, of Alexis. He started to panic, looking for something sharp. When he couldn't find anything, he started to tear up the room. He collapsed in a heap, tears streaming down his face. He thought back to before he met Alexis. He was an only child; his parents were from a small community, a normal community. When his parents found out what he could do, they freaked out. They blamed themselves, anything, and anyone. They locked him away, pretended that he didn't exist. They tried praying, exorcising him and even psychologically abused him. The last worked the best. He began to hate himself, to cut, to try to escape reality. He nearly managed to commit suicide once, but his father came down and cut the rope around his throat and took him to hospital. When he told Alexis about everything that had happened, she checked on him every day and he got better. However, when he attempted to live a normal life, leaving behind the constant running, she couldn't cope so he stayed. He was her only family and he didn't want to take that away from her.

The past haunted him every day, and he just wanted to belong, even more so than Alexis, but he didn't and never would. He wasn't as powerful as Alexis so was often passed over; like he said, he wasn't even considered for the Avengers initiative until Alexis put her foot down, refusing to have anything to do with Shield unless they let him stay with her. He wasn't meant to know about that, but he overheard her arguing with Fury. It made him feel devalued, but he stayed with her for the same reason they always did; they were family. He was waiting for the day when they realised how unimportant he was and kicked him out the team. Alexis would find herself a family within the team, he knew it; she'd be fine without him. Hr reached around his neck and felt the slight indent from the rope, and reminded himself how much of a failure he was.

Alexis' POV

She walked in, crouching in front of where Luke was huddled.

"How, h..h.. how did you know?" Luke stuttered in a daze, staring at his hands. They were soaking wet, so Alexis went into the bathroom and grabbed a towel, chucking it at him. He wiped down his hands then mopped up the puddle on the floor.

"Luke, you know how, the connection lets me feel everything, remember?" Alexis said while pulling the boy into a hug. He leaned into it, welcoming the contact. "What set the attack off this time?"

"The room." whispered Luke, his voice shaking along with his whole body. "The room, it's like my old one, the one they kept me in."

"Oh Luke, what are we going to do with ourselves?" Alexis murmured into Luke's hair.

"They came back, Lexi, the demons came back. After everything that's happened, they came back now. I want to fit in here, but if they keep following me. There's only one place I can go if they continue." Alexis looked at him, knowing he was referring to the one place they'd both spent most of their lives after discovering their powers aiming for: Death. He wasn't going to reveal his suspicions to her; he wanted her to have the best chance at fitting in instead of giving it up for him like he knew she would.

"Do you want me to stay here with you, or shall we go back to my room?" They often found comfort in each other because of their similar experiences and feelings.

"Let's stay here. Can you put the light on please?" Luke asked sleepily, snuggling into the blankets.

"I can go one better than that" muttered Alexis while closing her eyes and cupping her hands. After a few seconds, a ball of glowing blue and gold started to form in her tiny hands. Once it was about the size of a hamster ball, she muttered, "Rise" and the fire did just that until it hung in mid-air, frozen. When Alexis opened her eyed, they flashed gold for a split second until they returned to their normal chocolate brown. She turned to Luke, who had buried himself under the mess of blankets, and smiled at him. He gave her a small smile back and closed his eyes. Alexis lay down and closed her eyes as well. She began to hum a meaningless tune, and started to meditate. She opened her mind, and then opened her eyes. From underneath the duvets, she could see Luke's blue aura, wrapping round his figure. She could see the golden glow of her aura, and above her, a slightly green tinted aura. What the...? She thought. Someone's being spying on us, she thought, and started to slowly stand up. As the green glow started to move away, she began to follow it.

Unnoticed until Alexis opened her mind, Clint had been watching Luke's room. Once he thought they'd fallen asleep, he crawled through the ventilation shafts he'd been hiding in until he got to the opening for the lounge. He dropped through the opening, and all the Avengers turned to look at him. "What's up birdbrain, can't you see we're busy" Stark said, gesturing to the game of Jenga he was playing against himself.

"Yes I can see that, but this is important. JARVIS, bring up the footage for Luke's room from the past hour." Clint said while he jumped over the back of the couch to sit next to Natasha. She muttered under her breath as he almost landed on her, and then shuffled over. He put his feet up on the table and she pushed them back off.

"Of course Mr Barton, accessing surveillance videos now." The AI replied.

"Clint, they're just kids, why were you spying on them?" Bruce asked, with a slight frown on his face.

"Just watch and you'll know why." He replied. "Anyway, it's not spying, it's observing without permission."

Bruce rolled his eyes and looked at the screen and the others followed suit.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Is that really the best you can do

Alexis followed the green aura down the corridor to the lounge door, where she heard voices. Looking round it she saw what the Avengers were looking at. It was the feed of Luke while he was having a panic attack. Rage filled her; they were supposedly team mates, so why the hell were they spying on them? She knew that they worked for a secret organization that spied for a living but still, that was no excuse. She watched them for another 10 minutes, until they got to the bit where she and Luke had fell "asleep" then listened quietly from the shadows just outside the doorway.

Clint turned the telly off and silence fell in the room. Many had sympathy for Luke as they'd been in similar positions.

"What are we going to about it?" Clint asked the team.

"I could try talking to them." suggested Bruce.

"No, you're a failure when it comes to listening to people's problems. How about we do nothing?" Everyone turned to Stark, with slight surprise. "Trust me, I would know. Talking to people doesn't help; it just makes you think about how those people are obviously sane and secure and how you're not. As soon as they walk out the room, you go and do the complete opposite of what they tell you because you know that that's what's best for you. If you don't you're broken, you can't fix yourself."

"But we should help them." argued Steve. He understood where Tony was coming from, but he didn't think it was the best approach in this situation. "They're obviously in a bad place, and they're part of our team now. We would do it for any of us and anyway, if Fury's made them join to improve the team dynamic, we need to make sure they fit in properly. Also, they're just kids and we're responsible for them so we need to make sure they're looked after." He didn't have a family to look after, so the team had become his and he made it his duty to care for them like a father would.

Alexis had enough. She walked in, boots thudding against the hardwood floor. Her hands were glowing again even though she wasn't muttering. Her face was set into a frown, her mouth in a straight line.

"Or maybe you could ask us, instead of spying on us, and then talking about it behind our backs? You have no idea of what we've been through, because not matter how many times you read our files and try to sympathise, you will never, ever be able to know what it's like to have to go through life with not only your own feelings, but your friends. You go on about us being in a bad place, but we've never been in a good place, so how would you know. The only one of you who had any idea of how to deal with us is that idiot." she shouted at them while pointing at Stark, who looked smugly at everyone else because he was right. "We're supposed to trust you, but how can we do that if we're constantly watching us? Not everything about us is in those damn files so you can't expect to know how to treat us. Just leave us alone!" With that she stormed out the door then got into the lift. A minute later Jarvis announced, "Miss Green has just left the building. Shall I track her whereabouts?"

"No, don't We need to gain her trust" Steve said to the AI, then turned to the team. "So what's the plan of action?"

"I think that one of us should talk to Luke." announced Clint. "They obviously share something, that connection she mentioned. We need to know what she meant. For that we need to talk to Luke. We also need to find out what she means when she talks about not everything about them was in those files."

"I'll do it." For the second time in the past 10 minutes, the team turned to Stark in surprise. Bruce raised an eyebrow at him, questioning his motive. "What, I want to help." He said defensively. "They seem like nice enough kids once you get through to them and if we give her chance I'm sure that Ice Queen Mark 2 will thaw out. This one did." He gestured towards Natasha, who looked at him with a glint of murder in her eyes. Stark shuffled slightly further away from her and fiddled with his bracelets, wondering if his suit would get to him before she killed him. "Also, am I the only one who noticed that Alexis has marks on wrist that look like the ones you get if she's been restrained? And she's got scars all over her arms similar to those of self-harm?" The team looked at each other, looking for answers, causing Stark to roll his eyes. Stark walked out the room and headed up to Luke's room.

Stark knocked on the door, and heard a mumble. He took it as an invite to come in. It was a bad choice. As soon as he stepped in, he got soaked. "I said stay out, so get out." Luke hissed, with eyes glowing blue.

"I need to talk to you, Luke. It's about you and Alexis." Stark said as he cautiously forward, treating the boy as an animal instead of a human. "Clint noticed you had a panic attack, and Alexis had a go at us over it when we were talking about what to do, well when I say we I mean everyone-" Luke's hand started to glow again so Stark started to speak even quicker. "We want to help you, and I know that talking about ways to sort it out won't help, so can you just please tell us what's going on? Alexis mentioned a connection, and I noticed she had restrain marks on her wrist. What's going on Luke?"

Luke contemplated it for a moment, and then slowly came out from under the covers. He looked from side to side, like he was expecting someone to jump out at him. "I'll tell you what I know, but if Alexis finds out you know, she'll kill you, literally. The others can't know, alright? I know you want to help, but she'll know what I did if you all start to treat her differently.

From what she's told me, she's never had a home. Her parents left her when she was about 10, because of her powers. Her magic is a lot stronger than mine and more versatile. I can control water and earth, and I have limited telekinesis, but Alexis, she's amazing. As well as air and fire, she can see auras and I think, I'm not positive, she can read minds and has some magic she can't control that happens when she's feeling intense emotions, similar to how Bruce turns into the Hulk when he's angry. I don't know on that one, that's just something I've observed. I met her when I was 12, and was in a sticky predicament. I'd been cornered by a bunch of teenagers, soccer players I think, and they had guns. One of them placed a gun at my temples, and I never used my powers back them, because I was scared of what I'd do, and then suddenly the guy caught on fire. The next thing I knew was I was in a warehouse, and Alexis was standing over me. Turns out I'd passed out, from shock I think. The first thing she said was "Why didn't you blast him you idiot?" Strange thing was, as I she said that, I suddenly got a rush of feelings, her feelings. She was full of pain and hate for the world, but she had a shield right at her core. That core glowed gold, and I realised it was the source her power. "Yours is blue." She told me. That's why when she casts her magic it's a mix of blue and gold, unless it's directly hers and doesn't draw from my energy. The connection's gotten us out of a lot of trouble before. Since then, we've stuck together, helping each other out. Once we ran into problems when we were cornered by a man, but he wasn't a man. He looked human, but then he turned into a horse. In the end we had to kill him, but not before he'd led us into a trap. It turned out that we'd drawn the attention of an underground black market; they wanted to sell us to the highest bidder. They captured us and restrained us but Alexis fought; she rubbed her wrists raw from trying to escape the cuffs. In the end they had to use this special metal, they called it vibranium of something like that, to restrain her. She still didn't give up and her only thought was to protect me. In the end she blasted her way out, but not before they hurt her. I can't tell you exactly what happened because they separated us and she keeps that memory well-guarded, but I think they beat and raped her. Once we'd got out, we ran and ran. We ran till we got to New York. From there we kept a low profile, but we ended up in another fight pretty soon. We won, but as soon as we finished Fury turned up, and shipped us off to the Helicarrier. And from there you know."

"Wow." That was all Stark could say.

"I know. Alexis is strong, and she's driven. She hides her feelings well, but once you get to know her you notice things. She's tried to kill herself before. A while back, I started to go off a bit on my own, to meet people, to see what a proper life was like. She panicked. She thought I was leaving her. I depend on her a lot, but she depends on me more. She puts on a strong face, and seems all tough, but really it's all an act. She decided that I didn't need her, that she was going to be alone again. Her greatest fear is being alone. I found her with a pile of pills in front of her mumbling to herself. Then she broke down. She's been getting better, but I think she's still insecure. That's why we refused to be split up, she needs a family. I just hope that we can stay here long enough to fit in. She always says that she wants to be left alone but she doesn't actually like it unless she chooses to be alone."

"If I tried talking to her, do you think she'd start to trust me?" Stark asked. He wanted to help her.

"Maybe, I'm not sure. Try it. Now please leave, I want to sleep."

Luke put his head back under the duvet and went back to sleep. Stark smiled at the boy, and let himself out. He headed to lab, pondering how to deal with the problem that was Alexis. He was a genius; he could find a solution, couldn't he?


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Maybe she's not that bad after all

Alexis got back at about midnight. She'd been roof jumping; she loved it because it made her feel like she was flying. She'd always wanted to fly, to be free, to be weightless. As she walked in through the main doors of the tower a thought ran through her mind, but it wasn't hers. W_hat are we going to do? She needs someone to help her..._Alexis smiled. Stark, she concluded. She followed the train of thought down to his lab, and lent against the door frame. Stark was tweaking one of his cars, and had half of his body underneath the undercarriage.

"You don't have to help me. I'll sort myself out." Stark sat up suddenly when he heard her, banging his head on the undercarriage of the car. Alexis started laughing, a musical sound rarely heard by anyone other than Luke.

"So you can read thoughts then?" Stark asked while rubbing his head.

"Sometimes, depends on whether I'm listening or if the person is thinking so loudly that they project it." Alexis said as she walked into the lab, and started to fiddle with things on Stark's desk. "So what are you planning to do? Lock me in an asylum? Good luck with that. I'm extremely hard to contain when I want to escape"

"So I gathered. I'm not planning on doing anything. All I'm going to do is say that if you ever want to talk to someone, I'm here. I've been held captive, and I know what it's like. I still get nightmares over it. We may seem untrustworthy, but the only reason Barton was in the ventilation shafts was because that's all he does all day. He was worried about Luke. I think he sees himself in him because he was around Luke's age when he joined SHIELD. You'll probably hate me for saying this, but I see myself in you. I never really saw my parents, and I know what it's like to hate being alone. You're clever, and from the sounds of it you have a lot of potential. Have you ever considered testing your powers?" Of course it would be Stark who would question the limitations of her powers, Alexis thought. She was slightly suspicious about how he knew all these things about her, but let it pass. Maybe it was good that someone knew.

"Not really, I haven't had the equipment or the time. I've been too busy watching my back. Life does that sometimes."

"Would you like to though? If we could find out the full extent of your powers, it means that we'll be able to plan attacks better." Stark grabbed an ice pack from a freezer and pressed it against his head, sighing in relief.

"So basically you want me to be a lab rat for your galaxy-wide cry that the Earth is ready for a higher form of war? No thanks." Stark widened his eyes slightly as he recognised the warning. Alexis began to walk out of the lab; her suspicions had been confirmed that all SHIELD were trying to do were turn her powers into weapons, when Stark called out to her.

"Alexis, wait. What do you know about Loki?" She stopped and turned around, one eyebrow raised in amusement.

"More than you'd think. My parents..." She contemplated explaining everything to Stark. He was very similar to her, she had to admit, and it would be nice to have someone on the team who understood other than Luke. "I have suspicions that they did deals with the Jotunn. I have a theory explaining why Luke and I have powers. Once, when I was about 5, I snuck downstairs and in my living room was my parents and a man who definitely wasn't human; he was blue for God's sake. They were thanking him for something but I don't know what. The next day I went to the library and got every book I could on mythology and read them. I found out about them in a book of Norse mythology. That's how I know about Loki. He... fascinates me. He has magic, and it sounds so much like mine." Alexis said, while looking at the floor. Talking about her past hurt, but she felt that she could trust the man who wrapped himself in iron. They both wore suits of armour; only his was physical while hers was mental. She edged cautiously back into the room, where Stark was sat, spinning around on a chair while thinking.

"Well, Loki hates us. About a year ago, he tried to destroy New York." Alexis snorted.

"Just because I've been on the run doesn't mean I don't know what's going on the in world." She said, amused.

Stark rolled his eyes. "He still wants world domination, and we need to stop him. He also wants revenge. Thor's currently in Asgard trying to find a way but I think that you and Luke are the solution, especially you. You're our best hope."

"Why me though? Why haven't the other Asgardians intervened? It is their problem after all." She sat down on a chair opposite Stark and adjusted the height so her feet could touch the floor.

"You'll understand when you meet Thor. They're not exactly the most diplomatic race. So what do you say? Do you want to help, or do you just want to run off and sulk?" Stark said aggressively; he understood that she didn't want to get involved, hell he hadn't when Fury first made the proposition, but she had no choice, they needed her help.

She looked thoughtful while casting simple magic, making small breezes and flames float in the middle of the room. She suddenly sat up straight and all the magic stopped.

"What? Have you got an idea?" Stark asked eagerly. They'd been looking for a solution for months so a new approach was welcome.

"One of the properties of vibranium is that it alters the flow of energy, isn't it?" She asked. Stark nodded. "Well, magic is just channelling and controlling magic; words aren't actually that important, they just make your will clear."

She whispered under her breath and twisted her hands sharply in a spherical motion, and in a blueish gold flash a pair of handcuffs were hanging off her right wrist and small silver key appeared in her left hand. She grinned at Stark. "Here is the solution to your problem."

A few hours later, Stark told the team the plan. It didn't go down too well.

"Will he fall for it though? He's the god of mischief, and he's probably watching us right now." Steve questioned. He didn't like the plan; they were relying too much on Loki making a mistake, which was highly unlikely. Alexis chuckled from where she was leaning against the wall, and Steve looked at her expectantly for an explanation.

"Honestly, do any of you have eyes? In the corner of the mission room when we first met you, I could feel the presence of another magic user, and it definitely wasn't Luke because I know the feeling of his magic. I tried to get the being's aura, but I couldn't. After we left the room, they used their magic, to teleport I think, and I got a quick blast of thought. Whoever it was, and I bet it was Loki, took the files on me and Luke. They also have an extremely evil laugh. The plan will work. Trust me. Luke knows it." Alexis scoffed at them. Honestly, if these guys are the earth's best hope we don't have much hope then, she thought.

"What do you mean, Luke knows? And if he's got the files, won't he know all of your powers." asked Natasha. She thought the plan was a good one, but whether it would work was a completely different story.

"He has the ability to know sense whether something will happen, it's a form of precognition, and not everything we can do is in our files, I told you that. Just trust me. You want to get rid of this guy, well let's get on with it. You obviously need our magic, so take advantage of it while you have access to it. Does this guy have a cell phone or something?"

"Lexi, he's a god. I don't think he'll have a cell phone." Stark said sarcastically to the girl. Luke stared at them with goggle eyes. He called her Lexi, and she didn't kill him. What was wrong with her? "Although he's probably better with technology than Thor; that is not an incident I want to repeat." Stark shivered at the memory of when he tried to teach Thor to use a phone.

"Okay then, I'll have to try to send a thought message. I'm not very good at them, but I'll try." She thought about something briefly for a moment. "When are we going to do this?"

"Let's wait to see what Thor says tomorrow, and then we'll make a decision then." Steve decided. He turned to Clint and Luke, who were sitting on the couch together. "You two are quiet. What do you think?"

"I agree with Lexi. If all you say about Loki is true, then this is our best bet." Luke said, looking at Clint. The boy couldn't work out what he felt about the man. His feelings had been in a mess since he first saw the man. Alexis internally smiled at Luke's confusion; she'd witnessed it enough times to know what it meant.

"I agree. We might as well try. Even if it doesn't work, Loki will know he's got competition within the Wizengamot. "Clint agreed, referencing Harry Potter while looking at the boy sitting next to him. The light glistened in the boy's hair, and Clint felt a surge of longing. What the hell? He shouldn't be feeling this towards Luke. However, he was looking forward to seeing the witchy duo, as he'd nicknamed them, in action.

"Alright then, now we wait." Steve said. He picked up the book he'd been reading previously, The Hobbit, and picked up from where he left off. Bruce and Natasha were in the corner playing poker, which Natasha was thrashing him at.

"Waiting's boring." Stark whined. "Lexi, do you want to come down the lab and help me with latest suit?" he asked his new best friend. Bruce smirked at Tony's childishness, but also in relief that he wasn't the one who had to listen to Stark rant for hours about the updates.

"Of course, who wouldn't?" The rest of the team snorted. " Can we make a start on developing my suit as well?" Alexis asked excitedly. Steve glanced up at Stark, wondering what his answer would be. He only made stuff for people when he'd decided they were friends.

"Sure, let's go." They ran off to his lab, and probably wouldn't be seen till the next day. Steve grinned slightly; Stark was fulfilling his goal to include her in the team.

Clint stared at their backs, until he felt a small tug on his sleeve. He turned to Luke.

"Err... umm. Clint, would you be able to teach me how to shoot, um please?" the boy stuttered nervously. Clint found the stutter adorable.

"Sure mate, let's go." They wandered towards the lift, Luke walking slightly behind the older man, looking up at Clint occasionally and shaking his head.

Steve, Natasha and Bruce watched the whole exchange with curiosity.

"Something's going on there. Wonder what?" Bruce asked before going back to his science journal, which he'd started reading after losing to Natasha.

"Hmmm." Natasha said thoughtfully, and decided to follow the pair.


	5. Chapter 5 - updated to here

Chapter 5: Slow and steady

Natasha followed the pair down to the range, making sure they were completely oblivious to her presence. Once they got down there, she hopped onto one of the support beams where she had a good vantage point of the pair without being seen.

Clint grabbed of his recurve bows that Stark hadn't had chance to tamper with from the weapons rack and turned to Luke, who was looking around the room nervously. He trusted Clint, but new places still made him slightly anxious.

"So how much do you know about archery?" Clint asked Luke, smiling inside at the boy's nervousness. He recognised it from what he used to be like, but worse. He wanted to help the boy relax.

"Um…nothing, nothing at all sir. It's just that I saw a video of you in New York, and I wanted to shoot like you. I've never had an idol before." The boy stuttered, looking up at the archer quickly then looked down quickly, blushing. That made Clint grin like a Cheshire cat. He was honoured that someone looked up to him because during his childhood he was always looked down upon even though his skills brought in money.

"Alright let's get started. Also, call me Clint, not sir." As he said that he stood behind Luke, and put his hands round him. He placed the boy's small hands on the bow. "Wow," he thought, "This guy has tiny hands..." He shook his head, and came back to the present before his mind started conjuring up awkward images of what those hands could do. "Okay, now pull the string back." Luke struggled to pull on the tight cord, so Clint helped him. As he put his hands round the boys, he felt Luke take a deep breath.

"Exhale and release." Clint told him. They breathed out and let go in unison and the arrow hit the centre of the bull's eye. "Well done, that was awesome for a first try." Clint praised the boy, keeping their bodies pressed together.

"It was only because you were helping me, otherwise I wouldn't have even been able to pull the bow back." Luke protested. Why is Clint being nice to me? Luke asked himself. I don't deserve the praise.

_Stop thinking that. You do deserve it._

LEXI! Get out of my head!

_Well stop shouting it then! Anyway you should relax, and just go with the flow. Clint's interested, look at him._

Luke threw up a mental barrier to his best friend. What was she on about? He wondered. Interested in what?

He looked up and realised Clint was talking to him,

"Um sorry, what did you say?" He blushed furiously, feeling really stupid.

"I said, now it's your turn to do it on your own. Just remember your body position." Clint said to him, smiling. The boy was obviously a dreamer, which was useful when your job forced you to face reality on a daily basis.

"I'll try." Luke raised the bow, and looked at the target. He could do this, he told himself. He envisioned the arrow going through the one Clint had helped him shoot. He drew the string back and fired. The arrow went right through the shaft of the one he'd shot before. He turned, shocked, to Clint, who was looking at him with a sense of wonder.

"Wow. You're a natural. It took me months to learn that."

"Um, thanks, I suppose." Luke said, not knowing to do with his body, so he ran his fingers through his hair. He'd had more praise in the past hour than he'd had in his life.

"How well can you fight?" Clint asked the boy. He didn't give him chance to think. He ran and attacked. He expected Luke to be good at fighting, seeing as he'd been picked up by SHIELD in the middle of a fight, but thought he relied on his powers a lot. He was wrong.

Luke saw Clint go into a run, and tensed. As soon as the older man got close enough to harm him, he ducked and swung his leg out. Clint jumped it, but as he went to land, Luke hooked his shoulder up into the archer's knee and stood. Clint fell backwards, and Luke jumped onto him, pinning Clint's neck with his arm. The archer tried to struggle, but couldn't because of the boys grip on his neck. If this was a fight he would be dead by now. Luke leaned forward, his brown hair brushing the archer's neck and whispered, "I win.". As he drew his head back, he looked like he was going to do something else, but decided not to. He jumped up and ran for the door, slamming it behind him. Clint lay there, confused. Who the hell was this boy and why was it that every time Clint saw him he wanted to claim him for himself? He stood up slowly, and headed for his room to have a cold shower.

Once they'd both left, Natasha climbed out the shaft. They obviously liked each other, but Luke still needed time to adjust, she thought. Time to put that Level 10 clearance to good use, she thought to herself.

_Meanwhile in Tony's lab..._

"How much longer till it's done?" she whined to Tony, who'd blindfolded her briefly while he put the finishing touches to her suit.

"Alright miss impatient, it's done" he said taking the blindfold off. She was speechless. It was better than she'd imagined. It was a dark purple, with black sides. It was pretty much everything proof, so she wouldn't get hurt. Her hands were left open so she could use her magic. She also had black knee-high combat boots. She loved it. She turned and did something VERY unusual for her: she hugged Tony.

"Thank you." she mumbled into his chest.

"It's alright Lexi. Go try it on."

She grabbed it and ran off to try it on. As she emerged, Tony was amazed. She looked like a storm goddess in human form. They ran upstairs to show the others and found the Norse god of thunder has returned to Earth.

"So you must be Thor. I'm Alexis. You need me so let's play nice, shall we?" She said to Thor, obviously unintimidated by his height of muscles. Thor was perplexed by the girl. She was like fire, beautiful but obviously dangerous.

"Lady Alexis, I am pleased to meet you. Loki had escaped here, to Midgard. I have been informed of your plan, and agree. I think we should move now, before my brother has chance to cause trouble." Thor said to Alexis, thinking it best to treat the girl with respect. He was sure she would have no problem flooring him, no matter how small she was.

"YES! Let's go then. Wait, where's Luke?"

"Upstairs." Clint answered, rubbing his neck. It was still sore.

"I see you made the mistake of fighting him. Idiot. Give me a moment and he'll be here." Alexis mocked the archer.

_Luke, get your lazy butt down here, we're going to set the plan into motion._

Alright but don't expect me to work with Barton, Luke replied.

Alexis thought to herself,_ that's exactly what I'm expecting you to do._ She laughed to herself as Luke walked through the lift doors. She stuck her tongue out at Clint, who glared at her.

"Alright then people, let's get this show on the road. We've got the god of mischief to catch!"


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: War of the half breeds

Alexis sat on her bed crying. She sent out a mental cry for help. A minute later a shadow appeared in her room, watching the girl spill her heart in tears. He decided to show himself, people were easier to persuade when they were like this.

"Alexis, you don't belong here." Loki began. He'd persuaded many people to join him over the centuries. They were just pawns in his games, worth nothing to him, no matter how powerful they were. Alexis looked up at him. There was a glint in her eyes that he recognised from his own. The need for power, and behind that, pain, the feeling of wanting to belong. No, he couldn't think that. If started to compare himself to her he would create a weakness, and that couldn't happen.

"They're a bunch of fools, you deserve better than them. You deserve power, to rule. Humans are weak, they should bow to us."

"Wait, what do you mean. I'm human, aren't I?" she questioned him, looking into his eyes for conformation.

"If you join me, I'll tell you. You can know secrets that only I know, information that's been lost for eternities. Alexis, you know you want it. I can help you develop your powers, and together we will be unstoppable." he reached out his hand towards her. "I can protect you. You'll never be hurt again."

"Um alright then. Lets go." Alexis reached out to grab his hand. For a moment, Loki thought something was wrong, but brushed it off. What could this girl, with only a basic control over her powers, do to harm him, a god? That was his mistake.

As soon as their hands joined, everything they'd planned spring into action. The body double that Alexis had created disappeared, and Alexis quickly placed the vibranium handcuffs on Loki's wrists. She'd enchanted them to prevent him from teleporting or wielding magic. As she did this she invaded his mind. It was the hardest battle she'd had. Then again she was a 16-year-old self-taught human, and he was an ancient demigod. They battled for what felt like hours, and she nearly lost. He'd had centuries of practise, but she'd spent her whole life building shield upon shield. She'd had to. Finally she found a kink, in the spot which found that people forgot to protect. They thought that it would be obvious to protect them, but when it came to people forgot to protect their most personal memories. For a demigod, it was a stupid mistake, she thought to herself. Once she managed to get into his mind, she bound him to her. Now she felt everything he felt, every though, and he felt her feelings and thoughts. This way they could find what he was planning. What surprised her was the colour of his core. It was a mix of blue and green. She escaped out of his kind, and opened her eyes. Clint and Luke had jumped out of the ventilation shaft, and were standing next to each other. They stood towards the back of the room, that way they had a clear shot, and Clint didn't want to be anywhere near Loki after last time. Their auras were molding together, wanting to join but they wouldn't let them. She smiled. Nat, Steve,Tony and Thor were surrounding Loki, making sure he didn't go anyway. Thor was looking at Loki with disappointment. Alexis felt a wave of amusement from Loki. _Hey,he missed you. Be nice._

"It worked?" she asked in a daze. She couldn't believe it. Her, the homeless lost cause had beaten an Asgardian demigod. Wow. _Actually you just took me off guard. You can never truly beat me._ Loki told her. _Well how come your still here then?_ She threw back at him. He scowled at her. She stuck her tongue out at him.

"You did it Lex, you caught him."Luke told her. He walked over her and pulled her into a hug. "I couldn't have done it without you guys though." she mumbled into Luke's chest.

"Actually you did do it without us. We just stood there." Tony told her. Wow, she thought. Tony actually let me take the credit. Something must be wrong with him.

"Excuse me but I'm still here." Loki drawled. "Sorry to disappoint you, but if you remember, you've caught me before and look at how that worked out."

"One difference, reindeer boy, last time you wanted to be caught. This time I highly doubt it. Now, what are we going to do with you?" Tony asked, turning to the avengers.

"I suggest..." Thor started but Alexis interrupted. "He can teach me and Luke."

"What!" the avengers turned to Alexis. "Are you crazy, Lexi, he'll probably kill us!" Luke wondered what had got into her. Was she crazy?

"No he won't, for three reasons. 1. he can't because he has no access to his powers. 2. He's bound to me. I'll know if he even thinks about doing anything to us. For example, right now he thinks I'm lying and is trying to teleport out of here. Good luck with that. And for the grand finale, he's more like us than you realise. Remember how he mentioned that humans should bow to us? Well I just worked out what he means. Me and Luke are half Jotun."

"What the hell Lexi? Are you CRAZY!" Luke screamed at her, freaking out.

"She's right." They all turned to Bruce in the door way. "The shield took a blood sample when they first picked you up. They gave it to me and when I analysed it, I noticed some abnormalities. Some of the cells were blue and ice-like. I'm pretty sure if we compared it to Loki's blood we would find the same cells."

"You humans are quite clever, aren't you? The doctors right but he missed out the part where the other half of your cells are golden. Your half Asgaurdian."Loki chipped in with a face of amusement.

"So me and Lexi, we're... brother and sister. And your also my brother?" Luke stuttered. He looked at Clint who was looking at him with a face of disbelief, or was it disgust? He couldn't tell. He looked over to Alexis. She looked fine, like nothing had happened. How was she ok?

"None of us are, don't worry. Your father was an outcast, and your mother was one of Frigga's women. She was wronged by Odin, and as revenge she began to see your father. When she gave birth to you she gave you to a mortal family, to give you a chance. Alexis was born in a similar situation, but to different parents. Your mother and father haven't been since." Loki explained. He felt sorry for Luke, he could understand the confusion. Alexis though, seemed to have expected this. How, he would have to find out.

"I'm a monster."Luke said, and ran out the door. Alexis went to chaise him, but Bruce stopped her. "Let him come to terms with it himself." Alexis bit her lip, then nodded. She turned to Loki, and smiled. "Well, let's get started. Your coming with me. Your going to teach me everything you know, like it or not."

Loki groaned.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: I wish you were here

They were in the gym, and she was beating the shit out of him. After all the hype he wasn't living up to the expectations. _Turn it up will you reindeer, getting bored here s_he messaged him. _As you wish Alexis_ and he hit her in the gut, hard. She was already regretting asking him to turn it up. He grinned at her. Loki was rather cute she thought. _I heard that _messaged in an amused tone. Shit she thought.

Suddenly she doubled over as her body felt like she was pummelled, but Loki was doing nothing. _Alexis, are you alright?_ There was an unusual hint or concern in his voice. _Luke, there's something wrong with him. The connection, its similar to the one I created between us. He's getting hurt and I can't do anything!_ She was angry. She turned to Loki, and her eyes shone gold. "Fight me, oh God of Mischief. Show me what your worth." His grin spread further across his face. Alexis threw a ball of fire across towards him, and noticed that it had green tints to it. Interesting, she thought. He blocked it and retaliated with his own attack. Alexis ducked and rolled across the floor. She reached her arms out then pulled them towards her. Loki couldn't breath. She'd taken all of his air. He tried to move, to fight her but couldn't. The bitch, he thought. _Hey that's not nice. I might not give you your air back now. _She chided him. She's so much like Frigga, Loki thought. Maybe he would take her Asgard some time... _I would like that_ Her voice whispered softly through his mind. He lungs filled with her. He nodded his head to her. "A thank you would be nice." she said, leaning against the wall. "I don't do thank you's." Loki said, giving her a cold stare. Who was she, a young girl to command him and comment on his manners. He felt a tightening in his chest. She would be the death of him. She smiled at this, and melted into the shadows. She need to try and help Luke.

While they were fighting in the gym, the Avengers were gathered in the meeting room with Hill and Fury, discussing what happened.

"We need to get Luke back. He'd too dangerous to have out in the world, where any one could influence him." Fury told the team.

"You said the same about me, but you left me alone, to a degree. We need to give him time. He had a bombshell dropped on him, and he's probably scared that he'll hurt someone. Let him come back to us in his own time." Bruce countered. He would know.

"I'll give him 5 days. If he hasn't returned by then, I'm sending you, Barton, to get him. Understood?"

"Yes sir."Clint muttered. He was confused about his feelings towards Luke. Could he see through the Jotun and see the boy? He was a bit sceptical, after knowing Loki.

"Okay then, next subject:Loki. What the hell are we going to with him?" Fury asked the team, directing the question mainly to Steve and Tony.

"Well, Lex mentally restrained him, he can't do anything unless she allows it. It's like her bond with Luke, but stronger. I wouldn't be worried about Loki, I'd be worried about Lex. Her and Luke... she needs him. I know that she had a nightmare last night because he'd gone. Her bond means that she can tell roughly where he is, and she's dying to follow him. I think the only reason she hasn't is because she understands why he's left. If it means he's happy, she'd kill herself and sell her soul to the devil for him." Tony told the director. The girl was becoming to seem like a daughter to him. Ever since Pepper left him he'd been looking for a cause, and he'd found one: Alexis.

"Is it safe to have her so close to Loki? She's fragile enough alrea..." He was interrupted by the girl herself.

"For gods sake what have I told you about talking about me and Luke behind our backs?" she said, clearly annoyed as she turned visible. Loki was with her. He'd taught her the invisibility spell he'd been using. Well, not taught, had removed from his mind. He had a scowl plastered to his face. That made Clint smile. "Luke's in trouble. I don't care what you think, no offence Bruce, but I'm going to find him. None of you guys understand what he's going through, and me and Loki do. We're leaving now. Stark, your going to be our communication point, and the rest of you... keep doing what your doing. Keep an eye on Central Park, a portals going to open tomorrow. Be there otherwise the worlds going to turn into giant dog chew. Bye!"

Before anyone could say anything, they teleported away to who knows where, and left the Avengers stunned.

_For gods sake Tony, get on with it. Your a bloody genius, you can probably work out where we are._ Alexis' annoyed voice ran through Stark'd head. Where would they go? He thought to himself. Then he realised. He jumped out of his chair and started running to his lab.

They appeared, and Alexis felt sick. She felt a hand on her back, and she whipped round to find it was Loki. "The sickness will wear off, give it a minute. Is he near?"

"Yere, I can feel him but it feels like he's with someone. Wait..." A look of shock formed on her face. She couldn't believe it.

"Alexis, what's wrong? He's ok isn't he?" Loki asked her. He was worried about her. All he could feel was her shock and amazement at what she'd found. Well, Luke had found.

"He's fine. He's better than fine." she said, a Cheshire cat grin that Loki recognised spreading across her face. "Come on, I'll show you." He grabbed his hand, and Loki looked at it in shock, then back up to her face. She smiled. She began to run and he followed, and they vaulted from wall to wall until they reached the roof of a building. The roof was level with the highest window of the building opposite. Alexis crouched, and Loki followed suit. "Look." she said, pointing to the window opposite. Loki looked and saw what was making Alexis so happy. Luke was inside and was sitting with a boy about the same age as him. Inside the boys hands was a small of red fire. He looked up at Luke, who grinned encouragingly. Luke reached out, and cupped his hands round the boys. The boy had shortish dark blonde hair, and greyish blue eyes. Even though he was sitting, he looked about 5ft 8". Luke leaned forward gently kissed the boy. Alexis nearly screamed. Luke had finally found what he wanted. Loki whispered in her ear, " Let's leave them. We know they're safe and that's what we came here to find out. Do you want to go back to the tower, or shall we find a hotel here?"

Alexis turned and looked Loki in the eyes. She could melt into his green eyes, and she was beginning to. He was falling into her eyes as well. She was so beautiful, he thought. They began to lean forward, then a bird pooed on their heads, and broke the moment. Alexis jumped up and started to scrabbling the poo out of her hair, only making it worse.

"Let me help." Loki said softly, coming up behind her. He murmured some words and the poo was cleaned out of their hair. He made some other changes as well. Their clothes had been changed. Alexis was wearing a strapless black dress, which hugged her figure and made her look taller. He was wearing a tuxedo, and a long overcoat with green lining. He'd also changed their location. Alexis looked down at her clothes, stunned. The dress was the most expensive thing she'd ever worn or had.

"Would you care to join me,Alexis?" Loki asked, extending his arm. She took it, and smiled at him softly.

"Let's go." she murmured and they waked into the Ritz, arm in arm.

Unbeknown to Loki and Alexis, Luke had seen them leave, and smiled at the thought. He began to write a letter to her.

_I am happy. I will return to the tower, but I have things I must sort out first. Me and Jake are safe, and aren't planning to do anything to draw attention to ourselves. Son't worry about us, focus on learning how to control your powers with Loki. Enjoy yourself, be free. Be Lex, the girl I fell in love with, who broke my heart and left me to die, who I've been striving to see again for the past 4 years. Come back Lex, let someone in. You don't need to guard who you are anymore, you can be yourself. _

_This is only a goodbye for now, not a farewell._

_Stay strong, and be free._

_Luke x_

Luke and Jake walked to the post box down the street hand in hand. He was happy.


	8. Chapter 8

**AN: Hi, I was wondering if someone could review please. The feedback would be good because I want to know what people think and where they want the story to go. Feel free to criticise! :)**

Chapter 8: To trust, or not to trust, that is the question

Loki and Alexis were sat in the Ritz, drinking wine. They'd just had an amazing meal, and for the first time in a very long time, Alexis was full. Loki smiled at her, and she smiled back. He was good company, and seemed to be proving the Avengers feelings wrong. Then again, he was the God of mischief, so it could all be a facade.

"Amazing, isn't it? The gods have all the resources they want, but humans make better food." Loki said to her, then remembered she hadn't been to Asgard yet.

"I will find that out when you take me there. Describe it to me." Alexis said, flirting lightly with him. Sod what they say, for the first time in forever, she decided, I'm going to follow my heart.

"It's like a city of glass and gold. Building taller than skyscrapers rise out the ground, and in the background there's rolling mountains with the best riding you could ever find. Library's bigger than the White House, and endless possibilities to where you can go." Loki told her, longing for home.

"Wow. I can't wait to go. It sounds amazing." Alexis said, amazed.

"It is. I will take you soon. You will get along well with Sif and Mother. You remind me a lot of them." As soon as he said that, he regretted it. Alexis' face fell. He forgot that she was still fragile, still independent and wanting for a place to belong.

"Is that the only reason that you keep me around, a reminder of what you miss?" Alexis stood up, chair scraping on the floor. She was beginning to like him, and was hoping that they could be friends. She wanted people other than Luke and Tony, and even if Loki wasn't the best person in everyone elses eyes, he understood her better than anyone, maybe better than Luke. She thought.

"Lexi that's not what I meant. I said you remind me a lot, not that you're a mirror image of them. You have a better sense of humour than them, trust me." Loki tried to calm her down. He didn't want to hurt her. Wait, did he really just think that? She was getting to him more than he realised. It wasn't good, or was it?

A waiter came up to the table and passed Alexis a letter. she opened it and read it. Her face was like a book, all her feelings showing through. Finally she folded it back up and put it in her bag. Loki was going to ask, but the looks she gave him could have burnt down the Empire State Building.

"We need to go. The Avengers aren't going to be able to cope with the hell-hound, and they're going to need our help. Alexis began to walk off, Loki had to jog to catch up with her.

"Hell-hound?" He asked her, confused, He slipped his hand into hers.

"Oscorp have been playing around with genetic mutation, and the serum they've developed has, well lets call them unwelcome side effects. They tried it on a dog, but it went wrong. It's going to escape, and we're the ones who are going to have to deal with it. Fun Fun Fun." she said the last bit sarcastically.

"How the hell do you know that?" Loki was becoming amazed by the girl. There was a chance she was more powerful than him. Shit, there goes his reputation.

"Lets just say, I still feel thing through Luke's connection." Maybe Luke was as well. Double shit.

"Alright then, lets go. First though, lets make a stop" With that, they teleported out.

Meanwhile in New York, Stark was still trying to get hold of Alexis. In his frustration, he managed to project his thoughts out to her.

_Stark stop acting like a bloody mother hen and prepare for the Hellhound. We found Luke, but he's taking a bit of a holiday and will return when he's ready. We're currently in Venice, and will be back by tomorrow. If I were you, I'd get my butt over to Oscorp. Take a dog chew. Bye,_

Once Alexis had gone, Stark ran upstairs to the lounge and called an Avengers meeting. It was the middle of the night, so they weren't happy. Once he told them, they woke up pretty quick.

"I hate Oscorp. All they cause is problems." Clint growled.

"I can second that." A voice came from the window. Clint fell off his chair. Hanging off the window was a boy, dressed up in Spandex.

"Who the hell are you, and what the hell are you doing on my tower window?"Stark asked the boy, pissed off that he haden't noticed him before.

"Well, I'm Spiderman, and Oscorp is the bane of my life. I can get you inside info if you want. For example, thhe Hellhound your talking about is only just being injected with the serum, so you have about 12 hours to prepare. Also I want to help fight with you. You guys are, like my heros. Please?"

"Alright kiddo, come on in." Natasha opened the window, seeing as she was closest. She gave him a once over. Who was this kid?

"Thanks guys. So whats the plan?"

Everyone turned to Steve.

"Well, Stark..."


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9: Let go

They were losing. The hellhound was practically indestructible. Even with Spiderman's help and the information he stole from Oscorp wasn't helping. They'd used all the tactics they'd used in New York to beat the Chitari but even they weren't helping.

"We need to hold it off till Alexis and Loki get back. Stark, get the perimeter, Hulk and Spiderman, try to keep it distracted, Nat, try to spot a weakness. Thor get Clint up high, and shoot the hell out of it." Steve told the team. They needed magic. Where the hell were they?

They kept fighting in that formation for about 10 minutes. They were still losing. Nat and Clint still hadn't found any chinks in the hellhound's skin, and the team were beginning to tire. This was Spiderman's first big fight, and he'd managed not to get injured. All of a sudden there was a green and gold flash, and out of it came running Loki and Alexis. All of a sudden there was another flash. When they all looked back, they realised that Loki had his battle armour on, and that Alexis had her suit on. As they ran past Steve and Nat noticed that Alexis had scars all up her arms. Nat felt for her, she was becoming a bit of a daughter figure to her. She may have said love is for children, but she'd changed. They all had. Meanwhile, from his rooftop, Clint was eyeing up Loki. He may resent the god for the mind control, but he was pretty fit. Maybe another time.

Their appearance had got the hell-hounds attention. It started to lollop towards them, but Loki and Alexis kept running towards it. Their link made it so they were almost perfect partners, but not as good as Alexis and Luke. Then again, they had fought together for years, and this was Loki and Alexis first fight together. Alexis fired a fire ball towards the hounds eye, which temporarily blinded it. It began to stumble and Loki teleported up onto its face and stabbed it through it's eye into it's brain. That pissed Clint off. Why hadn't he thought of the eye?

The hell-hound began to fall, so Alexis began to move out the way, but she tripped. The last thing she saw was the body of the hellhound falling onto her, and heard Loki and Tony scream, "Lexi!".

She was in a dream. Her whole life was playing out in front of her eyes. Most of it included Luke. Luke, she thought. He would be fine without her, he has Jake now. Her mind went back to the time where they were more than friends. She could remember their first kiss, the feel of his lips on hers. It had been raining, and they were huddled in the cellar of an empty house. It seemed like a lifetime ago. Then it all started to go downhill. They started to fight, so they went back to being just friends. Luke admitted he was gay, after she found him kissing one of the guys they'd shared a cellar with for a while. He managed to start making a life for himself, but gave it all up to help her. She owed him everything, and was willing to give everything up to keep him happy. She thought about when Loki confirmed her suspicions about being half Jotun. It had played on her mind since she'd seen the Jotun, her father she guessed, in her lounge. She began to drift away, couldn't think about anything. She could hear music, a lullaby that Luke would sing her when she had panic attacks. This is the end, she thought. She let go.


	10. Chapter 10

Chap 10: Never let me go

"Lex, Lex wake up, come on Lex, dont' let go." A voice whispered in her ear. She wasn't dead. It took her a moment to realise who the voice belonged to. Her eyes shot open, and looked into a pair of sea blue ones.

"Luke. You came back." she whispered. He'd come back for her.

"Of course I did Lex, what do you expect. I can't just let you die without meeting Jake properly." he gave her a cheeky grin and stood up. He reached out a hand to help her up and she took it. As she got up, she gave him a massive hug. He returned it then took her hand and took her over to where Jake and Loki were standing. The rest of the Avengers, once they saw that Alexis was alright went to go check on the damage to the park to give Luke, Alexis, Jake and Loki some space.

"Lex this is my boyfriend Jake. Jake, this is Alexis. I'll leave you to talk, I want a quick word with Loki." Luke said to the small group. He was happy Lex was alright. He couldn't let her die. They'd come so close to death before, and that was the closest yet. He began to walk off, and Loki followed.

Meanwhile, Jake and Alexis began to get to know each other. It turned out that Jake had control over air and water, therefore had complete control over ice. Alexis was slightly jealous. While they were talking she gently began to invade his mind but couldn't. His mental shield was impossible to break. He began to laugh at her frustration. It was a deep, throaty laugh.

"Your not going to have much luck. Let me try breaking yours."Luke said to Alexis. Like his laugh, his voice was deep and throaty. He attacked. Alexis began to laugh. He wouldn't have much chance. Due to her bonds with Loki and Luke, her mental shield was 3 times better than hers on her own.

They continued to talk, and discovered that they had the same tastes in music. They began to talk about all kinds of things, and didn't notice the scowl on Loki's and Luke's faces.

"What's the problem?" Loki asked Luke. He noticed a slightly feral look in the boys eyes.

"What's going on between you and Lex? Your supposedly heartless and cruel, then I turn up and find you on the brink of tears. The descriptions don't match up." Luke said to Loki, stepping forward to intimidate the demigod.

"I was NOT on the brink of tears, and didn't you feel anything through the connection? It was like having my heart ripped out." Loki admitted. The boy was the only one who could understand.

"You have to block the connection. It can be useful in fights but otherwise it just causes problems. She'll only get hurt through it. She trusts you already, and I don't want her to get hurt. When she gets hurt, she falls into a deep hole, and it's hard to get her out of it. Please don't let it get to that." Loki scowled at this. "Who the hell are you to tell me what to do, boy? I am Loki..."

Alexis walked up behind them and gave them each a head slap. "And you're getting too big for your boots. Luke you should know better than this. I can look after myself, dumbass. Come on, we all need to debrief back at the tower."

Luke and Loki glared at each other. They both stood in the way of each other. Luke was used to having Alexis to himself, and didn't want the competition. Loki saw that Alexis still looked at Luke adoringly, almost lovingly. It had to stop. Alexis began to walk off then turned around.

"Wait a minute, who lifted the hell-hound? And where's it gone?"

"I did."

Alexis turned to Jake. "You have telekinesis?" she asked although she could guess.

"Yere. It's sitting in a scrap yard about 2 miles away." Jake confirmed.

"Wow. That's cool." Alexis said. The others began to walk off, and she began to meander behind them. She closed her eyes and when she opened them, she could see their auras. Luke's was blue like normal. Loki's was a mix between blue and green, and it was beautiful. Then she looked at Jake. His aura was white. She'd never seen a white one before. Hmmm.

"Come on Lex, catch up."Luke shouted back at her.

She began to jog. Time for some hacking.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11: Welcome to my world

The debrief was very, very boring. Alexis spent the whole time making stupid faces to hide how she felt at Loki and Luke, who were ignoring each other. Alexis thought it was stupid. Luke had Jake, and there was no need for him to be jealous of Loki. He was her best friend and nothing was going to change that. Anyway, Loki wasn't her type and she wasn't planning on getting hurt that way.

_Good._

Shit he heard.

"Alexis, pay attention. Now, since the past couple of days have been a bit of shock with all the new members, you've got a week off. Oh and by the way Spiderman is going to be living in the tower. Not that I like that he's joined but…." He walked out the room muttering to himself. Clint and Natasha rolled their eyes at each other.

Alexis transported herself to her room. She'd built her mental walls so high that even Luke hadn't realised how close she was to breaking down. She'd nearly died, and she hadn't fought it. She thought that know that she'd begun to move on, she would fight it. But she didn't. She curled up into a ball against the wall and began to cry.

The next day, Jake walked past the door to Alexis' room and smelt burning. He ran to the lounge and found Loki and Luke arguing over what to watch.

"Guys just shut up. Alexis' room smells of fire." Loki and Luke looked up at Jake, and pop! Loki disappeared. Luke growled and ran off to Alexis' room. He kicked the door down, not even bothering to knock. The sight that met him was horrific. Everything in the room was burnt and smoking and in the middle of it, Alexis. Loki was moving towards her but stopped. Alexis glared at him, her face red and puffy.

"Take one step closer and I will obliterate you, puny god." Jake began edging towards the door. He wasn't very good with upset girls. Luke just leaned against the wall and let it play out.

"Have you been talking to Dr Banner?" Loki asked mockingly, but started to back off.

"No I just hacked SHIELDS database a couple of weeks back with Tony."

"That explains everything. Have you calmed down?" Loki needed to talk to her. Alone.

"Um yere I think so. Why?" Alexis was slightly confused. Her mental guard was down and Loki slipped into it. He found his worst fear. Wait what? Puny god or not he did NOT have a worst fear.

"I need to speak to you privately." What he was going to tell he was a secret. A major, 2000 year old one. No biggy.

"No. If you tell her you tell me." Luke finally spoke up. He wasn't going to let Loki take advantage of Lex's current vulnerability so he could mould her into him. No.

"Luke please…." Alexis began to beg him but he interrupted her.

"Lex, don't you see what he's trying to do? He's trying to turn you into him." Luke was beginning to get angry at her. She was different.

"LUKE I NEARLY DIED AND YOU'RE WORRIED ABOUT THAT. DON'T YOU KNOW ME? GET THE FUCK OUT MY ROOM!" Alexis had had enough. He was meant to be her friend.

"Lexi, Lexi please calm down." Tony came rushing into the room. Jake slipped into the room behind him. Once he saw where the conversation was going he'd gone and got Tony. As soon as Luke met him, he saw that Tony and Alexis' bond was stronger. Almost paternal. Tony pulled Alexis into a hug, and she began to sob silently. Jake grabbed Luke's wrist and pulled him towards the room they shared. They needed to talk.

"Dad, it's okay. I need to talk to Loki alone. Please, 5 minutes." Alexis looked up to Tony's face and did a puppy face. Damn, Tony thought, it's more effective that Thor's.

"Of course Lexi, but I don't want you in a room alone with Luke again." Tony was worried.

"Because he'll hurt me?"

"No, because you'll hurt him. I'd probably come home and find him dangling out the window."

"You know me well already dad. Thanks." Alexis stood on her toes and kissed his cheek. Tony smiled and walked out the room. As he closed the door behind him he realised something. She'd called him dad.

"Okay, reindeer games, what's this big secret?" Alexis turned to Loki, hands on her hips.

_She's cute._

_I heard that._

"You nearly died, but that's not going to be the first time that'll happen. Problem is, if you die, me and Luke are going to be highly affected because of the bond. I'm going to teach you an invincibility spell that until I found it hadn't been used in 2000 years. There is a chance that you won't survive the spell. Are you willing to take the risk?" Loki needed her to say yes. She was his Achilles heel, in more ways than one. He couldn't let her get hurt.

"Of course I am. Can I ask a favour?" Alexis knew that this was the best option.

"Depends what it is." Loki knew from experience that some favours weren't worth it.

"Completely bond our minds while we do the spell. I need to have someone there to catch me if I fall." _Which I will._

"Alright. Ready?"

"As I'll ever be."

They bonded their minds and began to cast. It was spectacular. Their mind looked like a tapestry, threads of gold and green, with a small amount of blue. Alexis saw what Asgard looked like, and all the other realms and Loki got an insight into Lex's past. As the spell began to finish, the glow began to subside. Due to the amount of energy they used to cast the spell, they both collapsed onto the remains of Alexis' charred bed.

"Wow." Alexis was breathless. Asgard was amazing. But what she saw of Loki's past….. It seems they were more similar than she thought. "Can I ask you something, well two things?"

"Again, depends what they are." Loki was confused about what she needed to ask.

"Okay number one, why me? Why teach me, an outcast and misfit a uber secret spell?"

"You're not an outcast or a misfit, your Alexis. I can't let you get hurt because then I'd be compromised. And anyway, I don't want you hurt."

"Okay number 2, when you've nearly died, did you give up? Did you just let death take you or did you fight."

"I gave up. I had nothing to fight for."

Alexis reached over and placed her hand over Loki's. "We both have something to fight for now. Would you mind staying with me tonight?" Alexis pulled a puppy face that rivalled Thor's. He couldn't resist.

"I'll stay."

"Thank you." Alexis rested her head on his chest and fell asleep, and he followed.


	12. Chapter 12

**AN: I owe this chapter to my friend, who I won't name but knows who he is. Thank you for greatly improving my writing.**

Chapter 12: Love in times of hurt

"What the hell were you thinking? She blew up her room and you were worrying about Loki? She has every right to want to kill you right know, and I wouldn't stop her!" Jake was pacing in front of Luke, who was sitting on the bed with his head in his hands. His hair, which he'd been growing out since he'd joined the avengers, flopped into his eyes. Tears began to run down his face.

_I can't believe I hurt her like that._ That's all that was running through his head.

Jake crouched down in front of Luke and lifted his head so that he could look into Luke's eyes. "I'm sorry; I didn't mean to have a go at you. Forgive me?" Luke didn't say anything, his mind caught up in a web of hatred and confusion. "Baby, please…" Jake stuttered, yet again there was no reply from Luke. Jake read this as his cue to leave, he stood up and turned around when suddenly something grabbed him from behind, and he turned back around.

"Wha-" Jake started to speak, but unable to finish his word as his lips met Luke's, he went to pull away but Luke had him pinned against himself at the waist. Luke had started trying to fight his way into Jake's mouth, at this point Jake had given up on the idea of trying to pull away. It was now a fight for the dominance- who was more powerful? Luke's hands made their way up to the bottom of Jake's shirt, he latched his hand on and delicately pulled of Jake's shirt, revealing a well-toned abs, this drove his motive even-more. It was Jake who first pulled away from the kissing to take a breath, he used this time to tease Luke; he was playing him where he wanted him. Suddenly moving his hands up Jake grabbed onto the bottom of Luke's shirt swiftly removing it from his body before placing his hands back down on Luke's bare chest and ramming him back against the wall. Luke let out a muffled groan, partly from the impact – partly from the feeling of their skin colliding. Luke couldn't stand just kissing anymore he pressed his full weight back against the wall and tugged down his jeans, leaving him standing in his boxers.

"Help me get out of mines" Jake said, Luke knelt down and started to undo the zipper on Jake's Jeans. Luke flushed with horror as he heard a voice in the corridor. Clint's. "Hey Luke, I thought we could grab some foo-"Clint looked on in surprise as he entered the room "It's… It's not what it looks like." Jake murmured. Apart from it was.

"It obviously is. Offer for food still stands. Tip for next time: get JARVIS to lock the door." Clint turned around and walked out the door. Luke and Jake looked at each other.

"Well that wrecked the mood. Do you want to get food or…." Luke grinned at Jake. He hoped it was the second option.

"We better go get food. You'll need the energy for what I'm going to do to you tonight."

"Now that's fighting talk! Come here you idiot." Luke leaned over and kissed Jake then handed him his clothes. As Luke turned around and bent over to grab his clothes, Jake slapped his butt. Luke swung round and glared at Jake. Jake smirked. Luke sighed and started to pull on his jeans. As he started hopping around the room trying to pull on his jeans, he fell over. Jake just started laughing then ran and jumped onto Luke.

"Ow Ow Ow no need to break every bone in my body!" Luke looked up into Jake's eyes. For a moment he thought they flashed silver, but it must have been a trick of the light, he thought. He curled his hands into Jake's hair and brought his head sown so he could kiss him. They started to kiss more and more passionately, rolling from side to side. In their passion, they didn't hear the heavy footsteps of army boots stomping along the corridor. Alexis slammed the door open, shocking the boys that they'd been caught again.

"For fuck's sake, fuck all you want but keep the bloody noise down. I'm pissed off and tired, and Loki and I were trying to sleep but you two rabbits woke me up. Do it again and I will rip your intestines out slowly over a course of days, while your still alive. Kapeesh?" Alexis was pissed. Her hair was a mess from sleeping, and she really didn't want to know when her best friend was having sex. WAY too much info.

"Alright Lexi, I'm sorry. Do you forgive me for earlier? I was being a dick. I'm really, truthfully sorry." Luke stood up and began to walk towards Lex.

"It hurt. Do it again, and don't expect me to have your back." Luke hugged her and began to stroke her hair. She began to pull away then she took a quick step back. "Put a top on, it's not a shoot for Calvin Klein." Jake laughed at that, and Lex flashed him an impish grin before disappearing in a gold, blue and green flash.

"That girl." Luke muttered and turned around to find Jake standing right behind him fully dressed. "Wow babe, don't do that!" Jake laughed and pushed Luke out the door. "Jake, I need my top!"

"No you don't, you're too fit to wear a top, and anyway I want to see Clint's reaction. I think he has the hots for you." Luke raised an eyebrow at this then walked into the kitchen. Clint looked up and forgot to breathe. Shit Luke was topless. He started to get a bit hot under the collar, and that was a problem because he was wearing his skin tight Hawk suit.

"Alright guys, there's food on the table. I need to go find Stark." Clint walked out of the room without making eye contact with either of them. Luke and Jake looked at each and dived into the food.

Clint hurried down to Stark's room and banged the door. Tony opened the door.

"What's the problem Legolas?"

"I need your assistance." That was their code for "I need to get laid".

"Well come right in then." Tony grinned and Clint went into the room.

When Bruce asked JARVIS where Tony was 2 hours later the AI responded, "In his room and doesn't want to be disturbed."

When Nat asked Luke where Clint was he responded with a mouth full of prawn crackers, "Went to find Tony."

Nat rolled her eyes. She needed to talk to Clint, but wasn't going to interrupt when he was getting "assistance" from Tony. Men, she thought.


	13. Chapter 13

**AN: I owe this chap to Intoxic, who gave me the beginning of the idea for this chapter. Thanks **

Chapter 13: Let's talk about sex

The next morning, Alexis, Luke, Jake and Peter received a message from Clint and Tony telling them to meet in the conference room at 10am. Alexis was grumbling to Loki about it.

"Why the hell at 10am? Do they even know how to wake up before midday? Can you pass me my other boot please?" Loki had been brushing Alexis' hair for her while she was getting ready, and leaned over to the other side of the bed, grabbed her boot and gave it to her. He was thinking about how she looked last night. While she was sleeping, she looked like an angel, looked peace. It suited her. Alexis finished pulling on her boot, stood up and turned to Loki.

"Well I better go see what they want. Feel free to stay in here if you want, I don't know what time I'll be back." With that she disappeared.

She appeared outside the door, where she'd arranged to meet the others. They turned up at the same time, Jake and Luke holding hands. Peter had his hands in his pocket, and looked really out of place.

"Hi Peter, I'm Alexis." She walked over and shook his hand. At the same time she read his aura. It was red and blue. She mentally laughed at that.

"Um, hi. Do you have any idea what's this about?"

"Nope but let's go in and find out." She turned and walked into the conference room, and looked around in surprise. Tony and Clint were standing in front of a board, on which it said "Lets' talk about sex!"

"Shit." Luke muttered behind her. Peter and Jake were silent, and the group went and sat down at the table, Luke and Jake on one side, Alexis and Peter on the other.

"Guys what's the meaning of this?" Luke asked. Jake and Peter had been to school, so had been through Sex Ed lessons, and him and Lex were old enough to know about it.

"Well after our 'incident' yesterday, Stark and I decided we should inform you guys, and Tony insisted to be the one doing it." Clint told the group. Luke and Jake groaned at the mention of yesterday, and Alexis laughed. Peter looked really confused, but smiled at Alexis' laugh. It was like Gwen's. He missed her.

"Guys, sorry to inform you of this but we don't need Sex Ed. We know what happens." Jake wanted to get out this situation, fast. Would it be cruel to blast them?

"Well sorry but you're not leaving this room till we're done. Let's talk about sex!" Tony told Jake. Luke and Alexis looked at each other with a glint in their eyes after Tony's last comment. They'd watched Pitch Perfect a couple of nights ago.

Luke stood up and began to sing.

"_Sex baby_

_Let's talk about you and me_

_Let's talk about all the good things_

_And the bad things that may be_

_Let's talk about sex_

_Alright_

_Let's talk about sex_

_A little bit, a little bit_

_Sex baby"_

Alexis stood up and sung the next bit.

"_All through the night I make love to you,_

_Like you want me too."_

Tony and Clint stood there looking confused. This was not what they'd planned, but then again, they hadn't seen pitch perfect .Peter was enjoying it, so decided to take the next line.

"_I guess it's just the woman in you,_

_That brings out the plan in me,_

_I know I can't help myself,_

_You're all in the world to me,_

_It feels like the first time,_

_It feels like the very first time,_

_It feels like the first time_

_It_"

Finally it was Jake's turn.

"_It's going down fade to Blackstreet__  
__The homies got RB collab' creations bump like acne__  
__No doubt, I put it down, never slouch__  
__As long as my credit could vouch__  
__A dog couldn't catch me, ass out__Tell me who could stop with Dre makin' moves__  
__Attractin' honeys like a magnet__  
__Givin' them ear-gasms with my mellow accent__  
__Still movin' his flavor__  
__With the homies Blackstreet and Teddy__  
__The original rump shakers__Shorty get down, good Lord__  
__Baby got 'em open all over town__  
__Strictly biz she don't play around__  
__Cover much grounds, got game by the pound__Gettin' paid is her forte__  
__Each and every day, true player way__  
__I can't get her outta my mind__(well)__  
__I think about the girl all the time__(well well)__I like the way you work it__(no diggity)__  
__I got to bag it up__(bag it up)__  
__I like the way you work it__(no diggity)__  
__I got to bag it up__(bag it up, girl)__  
__I like the way you work it__(no diggity)__  
__I got to bag it up__(bag it up)__  
__I like the way you work it__(no diggity)__  
__I got to bag it up__(get up)"_

They all sang, "We out!" Then started to giggle.

"God you guys, get a life! I give up. Just stay safe and…" Tony began nut Alexis interrupted him.

"Dad shut up! I'm going to find Loki."

"Can you ask him to come find me when you next see him please? I need to talk to him."

"Whatevs dad." She popped out of existence to her room. Jake, Luke and Jake were all laughing and singing as they walked out the room, heading for the cinema room. Clint and Tony just stood there, then after 5 minutes Clint turned to Tony.

"Shall we teach each other? I'm sure we need a refresh."

"Sure birdbrain, this should be fun"

They started the PowerPoint, and began to "refresh".


	14. Chapter 14

**AN: My friend who knows who he is, I am truly sorry. And warning, Fluff**

Chapter 14: The talk

Loki headed down to the conference room. He'd been watching what happened on the CCTV, and as soon as Alexis got back to the room he headed off. He got to the door and thought he'd better knock. Clint opened his door just as he raised his hand.

"He's in a good mood." Clint said as he brushed past him. Loki wondered what it was about, and walked into the room. Tony was sitting down.

"Sit down." Tony had a bottle of scotch in front of him and took a swing. Loki sat down opposite Tony. Tony began to speak.

"I've noticed you and Lexi are…. close. Very close. I also noticed you spent the night with her last night. What were you doing?"

"We cast a spell, and then fell asleep. You can check the surveillance if you want."

"Okay, I believe you. Lexi is like a daughter to me, and I don't want to see her getting hurt. She's got a family now, and I want to keep it that way. If you hurt her, even accidentally, I assure you the whole team, and even Fury and Hill, will make your life a living hell. I will also suggest that Thor takes you back to the Chitauri. I'm sure they want a piece of you right now?"

"Stark I would never hurt her. She thinks of you as a dad, and I'm glad she has a family. It means that she has people to help her work through the pain of her past, and to make sure that she won't get hurt again. We've nearly lost her once, and hopefully the spell she cast will prevent that happening again. We aren't dating yet and I wanted to ask you about that. As her father figure I'm asking you for permission to court Alexis. May I have it? She's amazing, beautiful, clever and witty, and I love her. I swear by the Norn's not to hurt her, and may the wrath of Thor come down on me if I ever do."

Stark took another swig. "God Loki, you're not proposing! Of course you can date her, just don't hurt her and don't get too noisy at night."

"Thank you Tony. I will go ask her out now." They stood up and shook hands. Loki teleported and Tony shook his head. That man is weird, he thought. Tony walked out the door, and went to find Bruce about their latest project.

When Loki got back to the room, Alexis was sitting on the bed, looking at her StarkPad. Loki noticed that the CCTV of the conference room was on it. She looked really upset.

"You love me. How can you? I'm a horrible disgusting person. I told my best friend to kill himself. You can't love me. All I'll do is hurt you and wreck everything. History will repeat itself again. You can't love me you can't you can't you can't!" Tears streamed her face, and she looked into Loki's emerald eyes. Loki crossed the room in 2 short strides and crouched in front of Alexis, and took her face in his hands.

"Alexis, I love you. Nothing will change that. I know you said that, but I don't care. You've caused yourself so much hurt over this, even though Luke's forgiven you. You won't hurt me, you've moved on, and have you hurt Tony, Natasha, Clint, me? No, you haven't and you're not going to. Alexis Green, will you court me? I totally understand if you say no."

Loki gazed into her eyes, searching for an answer. He got one. Alexis leaned forward and kissed him softly on the lips. She pulled back and answered, "Yes". Loki smiled at her and leaned forward and kissed her again. Alexis moaned slightly and moved her hands to Loki's long black hair, and pulled him closed.

"WHOOP! GET IN THEIR LEX!" Luke's voice came over the speakers. All the team, except Steve and Natasha (who both had to mysteriously go out at the same time) had been watching from the lounge. "Get your butts down here now!"

Alexis and Loki blushed, and stood up. They slid their hands into each other's, and began to walk to the lounge. As they walked in, Luke ran up and hugged Lex. He picked her up and swirled her around, and she laughed. After he put her down, Luke turned to Loki.

"If you ever hurt her. I will kill you. Jake won't hold me back, he'll probably help. Kapeesh?"

"I promise I won't. Anymore death threats?" Loki turned to the group. Bruce grinned at Luke.

"Well, I won't but I will warn you, the other guy won't be happy."

"Okay Bruce." Loki felt Alexis lean against him, and he put his arm round his waist. He leaned down and kissed her. Suddenly there was a flash halfway through the kiss.

"DAD!" Tony grinned from behind the camera.

"Lexi, I have to so then I can show your children." At the mention of children, Loki and Lex looked at each other panicked. The whole room laughed. At that moment Natasha and Steve walked in. Natasha realised what had happened as soon as she walked through the door. Steve had to ask.

"What happened?"

"Loki and Lex, that's what." Stark had forgotten to lock the booze cabinet, and Luke was drunk.

"Congratulations." Steve walked over to the happy couple, and gave Lex a hug and shook Loki's hand.

Natasha walked over and hugged Lex. As they parted, Lex looked into Nat's eyes and realised.

_You and Steve?_

_Yes. Please don't tell anyone yet_

_Of course I won't_

Loki watched the transition but decided to respect their privacy. Nat looked at Loki.

"I'm warning you…"

"I know I know if I hurt her you'll kill me."

"No actually, I was going to say give her black and red roses, because they're her favourites, but that as well."

"Okay Nat, I promise." Nat gave him a small smile then walked over to sit by Steve and Bruce by the sofa. Clint popped out of the vent he'd been watching from.

"Are we going to get this party going or what?"


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15: Girl talk

Natasha and Lex were in the gym, training. Luke had asked for Clint to be instructor, which suited Nat.

"So, you and Loki? How did that happen?" Nat asked Lex as they walked towards the showers after they'd finished fighting. Lex was learning quickly, and it also helped to have an Asgardian giving her tips in her head. She put a strong shield to him before she answered Nat's question.

"Our minds are joined, it means that we know hell of a lot more about each other than is safe, and that when one person feels something, the other feels it. It means that we can fight well together, and also know when the other is trying to kill you."

"That is defiantly helpful. That'll come in handy, because then he'll know what you like, when you need someone there or when to move the hell out of the way before he gets hit with a fireball."

Lex laughed at that. "So how long have things been going on with you and…?" Lex looked towards the surveillance. Nat filled in the gaps in her head.

"We've been partners since New York. We've grown closer and closer, and things just progressed to the next level." Nat smiled to herself at the thought.

"I bet he's a gentleman. Loki actually asked permission off Tony to date me, or "court me" as he put it. It's sweet though."

"He is a true gentleman. After everything, I suppose I need someone like him. I don't deserve him though."

Lex grabbed onto the older woman's arm. It was almost as if their places were reversed.

"Nat don't say that. You never saw the feed last night did you? I said the same thing to Loki, and he told me that he loved me, no matter what I've done in the past. At least I didn't try to take over New York. I'm sure Steve feels the same way. You do deserve him, don't doubt yourself. Don't make the mistake that I did, and push the ones who love you away."

Nat looked at the girl with respect. She was so young, but so wise.

"Thanks Alex, do you mind if I call you that?"

"Its fine Nat, do you want to go shopping later? I need some half decent clothes other than my suit, however comfy it may be."

"I know how you feel because I'm the same with my cat suit. I'd love to come shopping. I haven't been shopping in ages because Maria's always busy and I can't exactly take the guys shopping, although Steve would probably agree just to make me happy."

"Great! Let's goes have a shower and freshen up, I'll swipe some credit cards off dad and I'll be you in the lounge in an hour. Deal?"

"Deal. See you there."

The women parted and headed to their respective rooms.

Meanwhile in the kitchen, Luke and Clint were also having a heart to heart.

"Clint can I ask you something?" Jake's comment a couple of days before had made him curious.

"Sure mate, what's up? Something wrong between you and Jake?"

"Do you fancy me?" Clint looked up from the apple he was cutting and nearly sliced his finger off. Shit that kid was more observant than he thought."

"You are rather cute." He admitted, going slightly red.

"Thank you Clint, but I'm with Jake. I love him, and I'm not going to leave him. Fury's decided we're going to be partners, and we need to be honest with each other. I like you, but only as a friend. Let's keep it that way, hey?" he reached out and put his hand on Clint's, looking into his eyes for conformation.

"I'm fine with friends. I see that what you and Jake have is special, and I'm not going to wreck that. Apple?" Clint gestured to the apple he'd finished cutting.

"Sure." Luke reached for the apple but Clint slapped his hand away. Luke looked at him in confusion.

"Open." Clint commanded Luke, and hand fed him the apple. At that moment Jake chose to walk in. He looked at the pair and grinned.

"I hope you're not cheating on me Luke." Jake walked over and put his hands round Luke from behind. Luke grinned up at him and kissed him.

"I would never do that to you babe. I love you too much for that."

Clint was making gestures of being sick at them. Luke pulled away and laughed at Clint.

"God you guys get a room. The kitchen table not for sex, no matter what Tony thinks. Get out of here!" Clint walked over to the fridge and pulled out a carton of orange juice.

"You up for it Luke? I'm sure your fragile body won't take it….." Jake whispered in Luke's ear, nibbling on the top of it. Luke groaned slightly, then grabbed Jake's hand and pulled him out the room. Clint shook his head.

"Kids!"

He regretted suggesting that they get a room when the ventilation shaft fell on his head from the racket being made upstairs.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16: Girl Power

Natasha and Lex met in the lounge, and met a very annoyed Clint and Bruce attempting to check out his head.

"Clint what happened? Did you fall out the vents again?" Nat chided him. Sometimes it was like he was her kid, not her best friend.

"No, it fell on me!" Clint shot a dirty look at Lex. "Her friends were being so noisy upstairs that they OW THAT HURT." Bruce had just poked him in the head.

"Sorry but it was necessary."

Nat shook her head, grabbed her bag and headed to the door, chatting to Lex about what was more effective, a roundhouse kick or an axe kick.

They wandered through New York, stopping at shops that they liked the look off. They found out stuff about each other, like that Lex hates collar bones and that Nat has a birthmark like a spider on her right shoulder-blade. They also got a look at each others scars when they where trying on clothes. When Nat suggested that Lex tried on a crop top she began to panic.

"I can't do that. I can't."

"Why, what's wrong Alex?"

"I have scars all over my stomach. I don't show them off."

Nat thought back to the day she saw the scars on Lex's arms.

"I understand. So what clothes do you like?"

They kept on shopping for hours. Finally as they were heading back towards the tower, Lex saw a small shop that looked exactly her thing. She dragged Natasha into it, and her jaw dropped. IT was heaven. Band t-shirts, combat clothes and dresses. Normally she hated dresses but these but old fashioned, ladies dresses.

"Hey Nat, try that one on." Lex pointed to a black corseted dress with red stitching. It would go perfectly with Natasha's hair and porcelain skin.

"Okay, are you going to choose a dress?"

"Yep, I've got my eyes on one. You go first though."

While she waited for Nat to be laced up, she browsed through the t-shirts. She found about 5 she liked and payed for them. She also found an awesome skull cup, a new set of boots and a locket. Locket's intrigued her, so small but the perfect place to something. She payed for everything, then Nat walked out. She looked amazing.

"Wow Nat you look amazing. I'll buy it for you."

"Thanks Alex. I can't breathe properly though. Your turn."

Nat came out about 5 minutes later. She wandered round the shop, and bought a pair of combat boots and cameo jeans as well as the dress. As she was paying, Lex tapped on her back. Nat turned around and was amazed. Lex was wearing a beautiful green dress, a corset top and full skirts.

"You look beautiful. Loki won't be able to control himself."

"That wouldn't be the best idea with dad around. I'm also going to buy it in black."

Lex changed back then they walked out the store arm in arm. They decided they were going to wear their new dresses to the charity ball they had that night. As they were walking down the street, people began screaming. They ran to the source and discover a giant mouse, the size of a house. Nat grabbed her gun, which she had hidden under her leather jacket and Lex grabbed her knife, which she'd brought with her juts in case. She also got her magic ready.

"Lex get behind it and she if you can stop it.I'll distract it."

Nat shot at the mouse, which got it's attention. Lex ran behind it, and vaulted from the top of a car onto it's back. The mouse squealed, and began to rear. She ran up to in-between its ears, and began to murmur a spell. The mouse began to shrink and shrink until it was normal mouse size. Lex picked up the mouse, an looked around. A little girl ran over to Lex and said to her, "I want to be like you when I'm older."

Alexis smiled at her, and said to the little girl, "Do you want this mouse?". The little girl nodded, and Alexis places the mouse in the little girls hands. When the mother came over to retrieve her daughter, Alexis assured her that the mouse wouldn't resize. Alexis walked over to Nat. who was watching from the side.

"You handled that well. What did that little girl say?"

"She said she wanted to be like me."

"That's happened to me. It feels great, doesn't it?"

"Yere, it does."

At that moment Steve and Loki appeared.

"Are you two okay, we just got the alert." Steve panickly asked. He couldn't let Nat get hurt.

"Steve we're fine. It was just an oversized mouse. We handled it, well Alex handled it." Nat told him. He worried too much sometimes.

"Come on guys, some of us want a shower before tonight." Lex grinned at Loki and took his hand. They began to walk towards the tower, listening to Natasha and Steve bicker about who should hold the shopping bags.


	17. Chapter 17

**Disclaimer: I own no one except Lex, Luke and Jake**

Chapter 17: I would like to introduce you to...

Most of the team, including Thor, were sitting in the lounge and were watching the news. Loki and Alexis walked in, holding hands, and Alexis was blushing because Peter, Jake and Luke were skipping behind them, singing "Why do birds suddenly appear." When Thor saw Loki, he stood up and boomed, "Brother! It is good to see you with Lady Green. Mother is extremely happy at the news of the matching. She wants you to come back to Asgard soon, and bring Lady Green with you" He walked over to Loki and pulled Loki into massive hug. Loki looked as if Thor had just killed his cat.

Alexis was trying not to giggle when Stark called out, "Hey Lexi, it's you on the news." Thor let go of Loki

The whole team turned and on the massive scream was a film of Alexis with the little girl. "And here we have footage of an unknown superhero fighting alongside Black Widow to save the streets of New York. Whoever she is, she's giving Black Widow a run for her money!" Nat and Lex looked at each other and laughed. Loki put his arm round Lex and whispered in her ear, "I'm proud of you."

Steve stood up and said, "The broadcaster has a point. You need names, and we need to tell the world who you are." Tony called out, "Press conference!"

"You can call Jake and Luke the rabbits." Clint muttered to himself, but Bruce heard and grinned.

"Me and Luke are the Elementals, and Jake can be part of that, right?" Lex looked to Luke conformation and Luke nodded.

"But you won't be working together." Steve told the teens. Lex looked shocked. She'd always worked with Luke. "Fury's decided since Loki, Peter and Jake joined that partnerships work like this: Clint and Luke, Peter and Tony, Bruce and Jake, me and Nat and Loki and Lex, although sometimes it'll be me and Loki, and Nat and Lex. Thor will fit in where needed when he's around. Everyone agreed?" He looked round and everyone nodded, Lex visibly relieved at the new she'd be working with Nat and Loki.

"I have a name for Luke." The team looked at Lex. If anyone would come up with a name for Luke, it would be Lex. "What about Dream Catcher?"

"I like that. How about Firefly for you?"

"Cool. Anybody got any ideas for Jake?"

The whole team shut up, thinking about names. All Tony could think of were stupid film references. Bruce gave up and started thinking about his latest project. It was Steve who came up with it.

"How about Sherlock?" Steve had recently become addicted to Sherlock, and Luke reminded him of Benedict Cumberbatch.

"I like it. High 5" Jake walked over and gave the cap a high-five. Nat rolled her eyes. Boys, she sighed in her head.

_4 hours later_

The room was packed. When Tony Stark called a press conference everyone went.

"I've called you here to announce some news about the Avengers. As of today, 5 new members join the team." Off to the side Alexis was trying not to have a panic attack. All her life she had spent hiding, all for nothing.

"Shh shh babe, it's all okay, I'll protect you. No one will ever hurt you." Loki came up behind her putting his arms around her.

Back on stage, Tony was about to call them out. "I present to you Jake Paws, aka Sherlock, Luke Griffiths, aka Dreamcatcher and Alexis Green, aka Firefly" They walked out in a line, smiled and waved. Tony had given them a quick lesson on how to deal with press conferences. Alexis had also looked it up on Wikihow.

"I also introduce you to 2 people you already know. Peter Parker, aka Spiderman, and Loki Laufeyson." Loki and Peter walked out and Loki went to stand by Lex. The crowds were all silent in shock. "I know you will all be wondering why we've even let Loki on earth, but he's changed. Alexis can vouch for that." Alexis nodded.

"Thank you for listening. World peace is no longer privatised!"

The crowd burst out into questions and flashes of cameras. The team walked off to the side. It was official. They were part of the Avengers.

Once they got back to the tower, Loki and Alexis disappeared off upstairs while Luke, Jake and Peter went to watch The Fault In Our Stars in the cinema. The rests of the team were scattered about the tower, while Steve and Natasha were on another secret date. Clint was down in the shooting range when Tony walked in.

"Clint can I talk to you for a moment?" Tony asked Clint. Clint put his bow down and nodded. "Our arrangement had to end. I've met someone else." Clint looked shocked.

"Do I know them?"

"No. Her name's-"

"HER!"

"Yes her. Her name is Cali Swift."

Clint picked up his bow and notched an arrow, then aimed it at Tony.

"Get out before I shoot you."

Tony looked shocked. Clint then felt a knife to his neck.

"Threaten my dad again and the knife will be more than just a threat, kapeesh?" Alexis had teleported in once she heard Tony's panicked thoughts. While she was threatening Clint, Loki had quickly teleported in and got Tony out of there.

"I'm not going too alright."

"Good" she moved the knife away, pushed him onto the floor and teleported out.

"The crazy bitch." Luke muttered under his breath. "Glad she's not my partner."


	18. Chapter 18

**AN: sorry for not updating, haven't had chance to get on a laptop :P**

Chapter 18: I hope this isn't what I think it is

Clint was plotting. His neck really hurt from where Alexis had held the knife. Since she'd turned up with Luke, all she'd caused was trouble, trouble and more trouble. There had to be a way to get at her, and through her, Tony. How dare he leave him, but then again it wasn't like they had a relationship, just an arrangement. His thoughts began to wander to Loki, with his bubble butt and cute face. Then it hit Clint. He could kill two birds with one stone, get Loki and hurt the bitch and the bastard, a.k.a Alexis and Tony. Clint began to crawl towards the exit of the ventilation shaft he was in and thought about how to set his plan into action.

_Meanwhile_

Loki sat on Lex's bed, while she paced around the room ranting about Clint. She was very hot when she was annoyed, he thought. He heard her mentally laugh at that.

"How dare he threaten Dad? Even if he was pissed, you don't go threatening to shoot people, even if you are a master assassin-"

"Babe, you threatened to kill Tony when you first met him, remember?"

"That was different Loks; I didn't just break up with him. I'm not going to even ask about that arrangement; I have enough with Luke forgetting that I'm a girl and don't want to hear his sordid fantasies about him and Jake. It makes me feel sick even thinking about it."

Loki stood up and pulled Lex into his arms. She laid his head on his shoulder and he put his head on hers.

"Maybe you should talk to Tasha. She knows Clint best, and anyway, she's your mentor, and your friend. She'll know what to do. I'm pretty sure she's gotten pissed off with Tony before, we all have."

"That's a great idea. What would I do without you?" Alexis looked up and kissed Loki, which she happily responded to. Half way through the kiss she teleported away with a pop. Loki ran his hand through his tussled hair and chuckled under his breath.

Lex found Nat in the living room talking to Steve. When they heard the pop, Nat said hey and Steve left, knowing the look that Lex had just given him meant she wanted him to get out, and he respected that. They were probably going to talk about stuff like fondueing, and he didn't want to hang around for that.

"What's up, Alex?"

"Nat, did you know about Clint and Tony?"

"Sort of. Clint never told me, but I guessed."

"Me and Loki just had to rescue Dad from being shot by Robin Hood."

"WHAT! Why the fuck would he do that?"

"Dad ended whatever was going on between them. He's going out with this agent, Cali. Have you met her?"

"Cali's really nice. I worked with her on a mission 'll get along really well. What did you have to do to stop Clint?"

"I teleported behind him and out a knife to his neck and threatened him, while Loki teleported in quickly and got Dad out of there. Is this like Clint? You know him best."

"It's not like him, trust me. The only person he would show this kind of malice to is Loki, because of the mind control in New York. Where is Tony?"

"Him and Bruce went down to Malibu for some R&amp;R, and so that they could work on their latest project. They said they're going to be gone for a couple of weeks, but we can go down any time, and that Cali might go down for a weekend."

"It's good that he's out of the way. Let's go find Clint and see what he has to say for himself."

The girls stood up and walked to Clint's room, while talking about Nat's latest widow bites that Tony had made for her. Steve's room was on the same floor as Clint's, so when the girls walked past his curiosity raised his head. Why were they going to Clint's room, he thought. Probably nothing, and he resumed punching the bags hung in his room.

Nat knocked on Clint's door. They knew he was in there, because they'd asked Jarvis. When the door didn't open, Nat shouted, "Clint open up, it's Tash. We need to talk."

When he didn't respond, Alexis got annoyed. Sod it, she muttered under her breathe and kicked the door down. She wasn't prepared for what she saw. Clint had tied Loki to the bed naked and gagged him, and Clint stood to the side, filming it. Lex lost it. This would never have happened if Loki had full access to his magic, she thought. She flung a fire ball at Clint, and when he was knocked over, reduced his air intake to that of an asthmatic half way through a major asthma attack. She then ran over to the bed and begun to untie Loki. She saw out of the corner of her eye that Nat had gone and got Steve, and they were dealing with Clint.

He would pay, she thought.


	19. Chapter 19

**WARNING: THE AMAZING SPIDERMAN 2 SPOILERS**

Chapter 19: Maybe it's time to leave

"And the annual Stark ball was cancelled last night due to Tony Stark contracting an infectious. The Avengers have apologised on his behalf, and have said the ball will be rescheduled when Mr Stark is well again-" The TV blabbled in the background as Lex, Nat, Steve, and Loki, who was wrapped up in a dressing gown, sat in the lounge, all in various states of shock. Fury had been called in, and had removed Clint from the tower, and had assured them that he would pay for his actions. Steve had informed Bruce, who said that he would tell Tony, and ensure he didn't try to hunt down Clint. Luke and Jake had gone out on a date, and Peter had gone to see his aunt. Thor was in New Mexico collecting Jane and Darcy, who were coming to live with them.

_Are you okay?_

_I'm fine babe. This has happened before. _

_You sure?_

_Sure babe._

_Do you mind if I go find Luke? I know he's on a date, but I really need to speak to him._

_That's fine, do what you need to. We need to get the whole team here anyway._

Alexis leaned over to Loki and placed a gentle, promising kiss on his lips, then teleported into Central Park, where she knew Luke and Jake had gone. She walked through the line of trees, which were turning a beautiful reddish gold, and saw them sitting on a bench holding hands while talking. She began to walk over but felt a pang of guilt over her connection with Luke. She stopped walking and crouched behind a trunk, and listened in.

"Have you ever cheated on anyone? Or been forced to go out with them?" Jake asked Luke.

Luke looked down guiltily, then back up. "Yes" he whispered, "I was trying to work out who I was, and this girl I was becoming friends with said Lexi was the perfect person to use. Lexi hated the girl; they'd had a feud the whole time we'd stayed in that house. I felt bad, because Lexi loved me, and I didn't feel that way about her. I never told her, because I wanted her to keep her happy. The worse bit is that if I told her, I know she would say it's fine, that's what friends are for, then when nobodies looking she would sneak off and cut. I hate that I did this to her."

"Oh Luke." Jake pulled Luke into a hug. "How didn't she sense it through the bond?"

"I'm better at blocking her than she realises. I can section off what I let through. This I buried more than anything."

Behind the tree, Alexis sat with tears streaming down her face. Everything had been a lie. The person she trusted the most had used her and lied to her. She got up and ran, ran like her life depended on it. She had to get away from here. Once she got far enough away, she teleported back to the tower to her room, and ran to the bathroom. She grabbed a knife and cut. Cut all over her body, not caring whether people could see them or not. At her feet a puddle of blood began to appear. She curled up into a ball on the floor. She realised she'd done exactly what Luke said she would. She thought she knew him but she didn't, when he knew her inside out. She had to get away from everyone. She'd been perfecting her glamour's; she could pull off a convincing one now. She slowly got up, wincing in pain from the cuts. She placed a small healing spell on them, just enough to make the pain bearable, but not forgettable. She shuffled into the bedroom, and grabbed some clothes and a bunch of cash she'd hidden just in case and put it all in a bag. Then, she got some paper and wrote a note.

_My love,_

_I have to go. I can't stay here. Too much has happened, things with Luke. I'll be back in time. Tell Dad I love him, and that I'm not gone forever. I love you, and hate to do this, but it's something I have to do. I'm sorry._

_Love Lex xxx_

_P.S. If Fury asks, I've got some personal issues to sort. Tell the rest of the team the same_

She folded the letter and placed it on the bag. She closed her eyes and teleported out.

**1 hour later**

"Lex, where are you?" Loki called out into their empty room. As he walked into the bathroom, he saw the dry puddle of blood on the floor. He spun around, anxiously searching the room. Finally his eyes settled on the note. He picked it up and frantically read it. Fury towards Luke filled his body. He stormed into the lounge, where Jake and Luke had just returned from their date and were joking with Nat and Steve. Loki grabbed Luke and pinned him to the wall by his neck.

"What have you done to her, you puny mortal? If you've harmed her, I will release the wrath of the All-father on you!" he hissed menacingly.

"What the hell are you on about Loki?" Luke spluttered.

Nat, Luke and Jake jumped up and Steve restrained Loki, while Nat tried to calm him. Jake checked on Luke, but he had an idea what was going on.

"Loki, calm down and tell us what's going on." Nat said to him. Steve let go of his arms and Loki crumbled to the floor.

"Lex went to look for Luke to talk about what happened with Clint, and when she didn't come back I went to look for her. When I went to her room I found a puddle of blood and a note saying that she couldn't stay because of things with HIM!" Loki pointed at Luke, who realised what had happened.

"She overheard us." He murmured.

"Look, she obviously needs some space. If she doesn't want to be found, she won't be found. The best thing is give her time to cool off, and let her come back in her own time. We won't tell Stark, because he'll blow up. Alex can look after herself. For now, you two better stay apart." Steve directed, taking control of the situation. Loki and Luke nodded, and Jake dragged Luke off to their room.

**At Peter's house**

The doorbell rang just as they were sitting down for dinner.

"I'll get in Aunt May." Peter said, jogging to the door. As he opened it, he saw a bedraggled Alexis.

"Peter I need a massive favour. Can I stay with you, please? The others can't know. Please, I'm begging you."

That moment Aunt May came round the corner. She'd heard a girl's voice and wondered who it was.

"Hello dear, who are you?"

"This Alexis, she's a friend from school. She's got some home problems and needs somewhere to stay." Peter filled in quickly.

"I hate to impose but I really need somewhere to stay. I'll pay rent and sleep on the couch."

"My dear girl, of course you can stay. It'll be nice for Peter to have some company. Follow me, let's go eat." May began to walk back to the kitchen. "I'm May."

"Alexis." Alexis and Peter began to follow, and Alexis gave Peter an awkward hug and murmured thank you.

**A few hours later**

Peter and Alexis had just returned from a night patrolling New York, Alexis using a glamour to disguise herself. On the way back, she'd taught him how to roof run. he'd loved it. They sat on Peter's bed, and Alexis explained what had happened. Peter understood why she needed to get away.

"He must be feeling pretty bad though. When Gwen died, I couldn't live with myself for a while. It nearly ended up that a kid died because of me."

"What was Gwen like? You don't have to answer if you don't want." Alexis was curious. She obviously meant a lot to him, she'd read his file when she'd hacked into SHIELD to find out about Jake. They had no more on him than she did.

"No, it's good to talk about her. You have the same kind of laugh. You would have got along. She was strong, independent and could look after herself. She didn't need me to look after her until that night, and I failed her." A tear streamed down his face. Alexis leaned forward and pulled him into a hug.

"You didn't fail her. From the sounds of it, she would have wanted you to carry on being a hero without her. You did what you could, and sometimes we have to lose the one we care about the most to be able to move on."

"Thank you." Murmured Peter into Lex's hair. He pulled back and Alexis looked over at his web shooters.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Sure, shoot away."

"Can you tutor me in science? I never went to school, and Stark's a rubbish teacher. I want to be able to understand things in the world, other than my magic."

"I'd love to. We'll start tomorrow."

They sat there, staring out the window. Slowly they fell asleep on each other. It wasn't romantic, nothing like that, but a friend way.

Across the city, Loki sat in Alexis' room, trying to find her through magic but to no avail. He missed her, like she'd taken his heart with him. He lay back on her bed, and looked at the stars, wondering if she was doing the same.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20: Is there a limit to what can be forgiven?

They waited for her to return. A month later she still hadn't. Peter was still running missions, but was staying at Aunt May's for a while. Her health was deteriorating, and he wanted to be near her. Luke, Clint and Jake were in Austria, scouting out a possible Hydra base. The rest of the team were spread around the world, Bruce had gone back to India, Tony had gone to Australia for a meeting, and Steve and Natasha had just returned from a mission. Thor stayed in New Mexico, because after hearing what had happened, Jane refused to come up, saying she didn't want to impose while Tony was having a tough time. And Loki, well Loki searched the city, again and again, and cast spell after spell after spell trying to find her. He was a wreck, only eating when the team forced him to, and when Tony was around, they would sit in the workshop and drink, and wonder. Wonder what had happened, when she was going to return. When Tony had found out when he returned from Malibu, he had tried to kill Luke. It ended up with Bruce hulking out for them to realise that fighting was going to do nothing.

It was by sheer luck that Nat bumped into Alexis in a coffee shop. When they'd gone shopping, it seemed so long ago to her, Nat had taken Lex to her favourite coffee shop in New York, a small, family run one down a back street. Lex had loved it, and she knew from Loki that Lex had gone there every chance she got. Nat went in there that morning to get away from the tower, the depressing mood and a love sick Loki. As she ordered her coffee, she noticed a mop of black hair with its back to her, hidden in the corner booth. Once she'd got her coffee, she went to investigate. She was right. It was Alexis.

"Do you realise the mess Loki's been?" Nat asked straight away, and Alexis jerked her head up.

"Yes I do, actually. I hate that I left, but I had to do it." Alexis mumbled into her cup. Hot chocolate, Nat noted.

"Can you tell me what happened? You may not think it, but I don't tell SHIELD everything. I won't tell anyone, not even Steve. I promise." She reached over to Alexis and touched her arm lightly and looked into her eyes, showing through them that she meant it.

Alexis contemplated it, and running, for a moment then decided that she could trust the older woman. She began from the start, explaining her back story with Luke, and what had happened. Once she got to the recent parts, Nat got this look in her eyes, like she was contemplating the best way to kill Luke.

Once she finished, amazingly without crying, Nat had an idea.

"What was the girl's name?" she asked. She'd have to run the plan past Stark, and Steve would surely object on moral terms, but the girl who wrecked Alexis' friendship deserved her just deserts. She would also be having some words with Luke as well.

"Jessi Moore, I think. She was a bit older than us; she'd be about 19 now I think. We met her when we were in San Francisco."

"Okay. So are you planning on coming back soon? The tower isn't the same without you. Loki keeps trying to find you, and Luke hates himself. They realised you'd overheard them when Loki tried to find out where you were."

"I might. I don't know. It's nice staying with Peter, he's the same age but he's like an older brother. He's been tutoring me in science, so now I can actually understand what Tony goes on about. I've been helping him with his agility in return, and helped to look after Aunt May."

"Luke isn't there at the moment. It's just me, Steve and Loki, and Tony comes back tomorrow. Please. If you want I can teach you some suppression methods, its standard for all agents who've been in stressful conditions. I'm surprised Fury hasn't order you to get some. But it's up to you." Nat drained her coffee and began to walk off. That would get Alexis to make her mind up.

She got half way down the street before she heard the familiar thud of combat boots down the street. She turned around and smiled.

"Let's go. I better go prove to my boyfriend I'm alive, hadn't I?" Nat nodded at Alexis, who popped out of existence. Suddenly, she felt arms wrap around her waist and she spun around ready to fight, before she realised it was Steve, who was grinning.

"You got her then?" Alexis didn't realise it, but Steve had spotted her the day before in the shop, and told Nat. They hadn't told the team, just in case she didn't return. Steve was glad she had though, the team was falling apart.

Loki was sitting on Alexis' bed, rereading the note for the millionth time. It was getting ragged and frayed around the edges, and no longer smelt of her. He couldn't believe that he'd become this, pining away over a woman. He was almost… mortal, he hated to admit it, but he was. He was finally happy, he'd found his place, even if his brother was there. He started to cry silently, and didn't hear the small pop. He felt the bed sink behind him, and then arms reached round him and he heard the voice he'd begged s to hear again whisper in his ear, "I said I was coming back. Did you doubt that?" He shook his head, and then Alexis began feather kisses down his jaw, until he turned his head and they kissed, softly but passionately, putting all the missed kisses into it. They continued for a few minutes until Lex pulled back. Loki leaned in some more but Alexis put her finger up to his lips and said, "Later. I'm sorry. I didn't want to leave, but I had to. I needed space. I feel horrible for blocking the link, but I knew you'd try to find me. I promise you this though; I will never ever leave you again."

"It's ok babe. At least you didn't try to take over New York." He said this with a mischievous grin. Shit, he thought. I'm even joking now. She's changed me, for the better.

"Shall we go see Steve and Nat? They'll want to know I'm back. Well, Nat's probably told Steve but-"

"Wait, Tasha knows you back?"

"Yere she saw me in a coffee shop and basically told me to get my ass back. She's gonna give suppression training, so things look to be on the up."

They stood up, and Loki pulled Lex into a hug, burying his head into her hair.

"That's great babes. Remember, whatever happens, we're in this together. I'm always here for, whatever it's about."

She looked up into his eyes and whispered, "Thank you."

They pulled apart, and walked down to the lounge. As they walked in, Steve jogged over and pulled Alexis into a massive hug. Alexis laughed, and said, "I said I was coming back. Why is everyone acting like I was dead?"

"Come on Alex." Nat shouted from the couch. "We just put Rock of Ages on. I thought it would be a good idea, seeing as that's one of Loki's many nicknames."

"And my favourite" Alexis said, dragging Loki onto the couch.

The lights dimmed and the film began.


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21: Ghost

After the film finished, they all went to bed. Alexis couldn't sleep. She was worried about seeing Tony, having to deal with Luke, trying not to cut. She wanted to go talk to Peter, but he'd be asleep. She decided to go to the kitchen and get tea and popcorn, and if she was downstairs she could play music. She slid softly out of bed, and Loki rolled over, murmuring sweet nothings. She teleported into the kitchen, and filled up the kettle. As it was boiling she put her favourite song on, and began to dance around the kitchen, singing along.

_A taste for blood_

_With nails like razors_

_Hungry for flesh_

_See the undead hot on our trails they chase us_

_We need a place_

_Somewhere to hide_

_Where they won't go inside_

_Watch as you darkest fear return to life_

Alexis began spinning around in a circle, throwing her arms in the air, and closed her eyes. She felt as if she was leaving her body and could see everything, the stars and all the realms. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed a shadow in the room, a human shaped one.

_Don't bother sleeping without one eye open_

She suddenly stopped spinning and her eyes shot open.

_There are creatures in the night to haunt you_

Luke was standing in front of her.

_Their arms are reaching out to hold you tight_

He began to step forward to hung her, like he always did after they'd had a fight

_Your demons come alive to haunt you_

She stepped back and hissed, "Don't you dare."

He looked taken aback. "Lex ple-"

"Don't you dare call me that you traitorous bastard. I trusted you, I placed your life in your hands and what did you do? You let that bitch control your life and use me as a guinea pig. My best friend and you betrayed me. You lied to me. You told me you loved me and you were stabbing me in the back the whole time." Her eyes flashed gold, and Luke was thrown back. She stalked forward, furious. "Then you come back here, and expect things to be the same. How they can when I know that your Jessi's sheep, her minion. If she walked in the door right now you would probably go worship her. I can't stick around to see that. I blame myself, you know that? And the thing is you know me to the core, and I feel like I don't know you at all. I did exactly what you said I would, and I hate myself. I'm not going to be your bitch anymore Luke, so get out. I don't want to know. You're dead to me now. I had some of the best times of my life, but I don't want the shit anymore" The whole way through Luke just lay there. They both had tears running down their cheeks, and scars over their bodies. Luke looked up at her, pain filling her eyes. She turned her head away, not wanting to give in where she had before. She squeezed her eyes closed, wishing like a little kid that when she opened them everything would be alright. She counted to 20 and opened them.

He was gone. She sunk to the ground and curled up into a ball. She began to stroke her cuts, and wondered if she'd done the best thing. The kettle popped, and she stood up. It was time to move on. The next song started, and she vowed to herself that the next song of her life would start as well. She headed to the cupboard, and aimed for the popcorn.

_Later that morning_

_Don't make me feel low, don't make me feel low_

She was in the coffee where Nat had found her listening to music when Jake decided to gate crash her table. Seriously, what was it with these people? She pulled her earbuds out and looked up at him from under her hood.

"I thought you were on a mission." Alexis growled at him, but it was hard to stay angry at Luke. She was grumpy because she'd had no sleep.

"We returned about midnight and Luke came straight to the tower, and returned crying his heart out. I'm guessing his apology didn't go well?"

"No, because I didn't want to know. I've had enough of it Jake and you've got to understand that. Please."

"You're a bitch you know that, right? He hates himself because of this."

"Join the bloody club." Alexis muttered into her tea. "I know I'm a bitch, but I'm on the brink of giving up because of this, and I want to move on."

"There was no fucking need to say he was dead to you though!" Jake was beginning to raise his voice, and people were beginning to stare. Alexis looked down into her tea.

"I'm not proud of that but it's for the best. We can both move on and get on with our lives. He broke all the trust I'd built up, and that hurt, and for that bitch, even more."

"How dare yo-"

Alexis began to lose her temper. "Don't you dare think your above us, just because your half Valkyrie. It doesn't make you any more special, because I can still kick your ass." She stood up. "I wanted to stay friends with you, but if you're going to act like this, I don't want to." She walked out of the door, slamming it behind her. Jake sighed.

Once she got outside she teleported up to her room. Luckily Loki wasn't there. She began to mutter, casting the complete opposite to the oldest spell. Once it was done she lay back on the bed, feeling like part of her was missing. She'd broken her bond with Luke. It was over.

**A/N: The first song is Dead Walking Texas Ranger-Sleeping with Sirens**

**And the coffee shop song is Low- Sleeping with Sirens.**


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22: Out with the old, in with the, well old

After she recovered, Alexis began to meander downstairs. As she walked into the lounge, she was knocked down by Tony giving her an attack hug. Luke, Jake and Clint were in there with the rest of the team, and Luke was sitting looking like he didn't want to be there. Clint and Loki were pointedly not looking at each other, which Jake looked amused at.

"Lexi! Don't you ever do that again or I will ground you, actually wait that wouldn't work, I would, um um ….." He grinned at her.

"I missed you too dad, but can you get off me please, your squishing me." Loki, Nat and Steve laughed at that. Tony pulled a hurt puppy dog face.

"You smote me."

Alexis laughed and as she got up said, "Join the club." Luke looked down at his hands. Loki and Jake noticed, and shared a look of "It's your other half's fault" at each other. Alexis noticed the effect the comment had on Luke, and was disgusted with herself.

_You shouldn't be babe, he hurt you_

_I know, but I still feel bad. _

_You shouldn't. It's like how Thor felt responsible for New York._

_Still…_

_I know it's hard but you have to keep your chin up._

Loki walked up to her and pulled her into a hug. She rested her head on his shoulder and he began to stroke her hair. She was beating herself up because she'd almost got over her depression, nearly out of the woods, of Wonderland but this had pushed further in than ever before. It was worse than before because the person that had helped her had betrayed her, and even though she had people this time she felt more alone than ever before. It was so hard to keep going, to keep fighting. The moment was ruined by a knock on the window. They pulled apart, and when she realised it was Peter she ran over to the window to let him in. As he crawled in through the window, she pulled him into a hug. Loki and Tony looked at each other.

"Lexi, why are you hugging Spandex? You haven't been cheating have you?" Tony asked. Alexis and Peter laughed, and Peter ran his fingers through his hair.

"No dad, he's more like an older brother. He's been tutoring me in science." Tony looked offended.

"Why didn't you ask me? I'm a genius."

"Dad, admit it, the only person who understands you is Bruce. You'd be a crap teacher." Nat laughed really hard at that.

Suddenly a red light started flashing, and Jarvis said, "Sir, there has been a breach of the ground floor." The surveillance feed showed up on the telly.

"Alright guys su-"

"TONY WAIT!" Steve suddenly shouted. The whole team stared at him. "I know him." He turned to Nat. "It's him." Recognition flashed over her face. She stood up.

"Alex, come with me and Steve. Everyone else stay here. We can handle it." Alexis looked surprised momentarily looked confused, and then nodded her head. Nat and Steve began to walk over to the elevator, but Lex shook her head, ran up behind then, and grabbed their shoulders and teleported out. The whole team looked really confused, well, all except for Bruce, who had returned the book he was reading.

In the lobby, Alexis teleported in right in front of the intruder. The intruder stopped, shocked and Alexis took the lead, growling, "Tell me who you are or I will burn you to ashes." To prove her point she created a ball of fire in her hands. The intruder took a step back, and pulled down the hood that had been covering his face. It was Bucky.

"Bucky?" Steve began to step forward, and then stopped, in case Bucky had been brain washed again.

"Steve?" Bucky said, and Steve gave a megawatt grin, and pulled him into a hug. Alexis gave an extremely confused look to Nat, who stood their smiling like a PTA mum.

"Guys, would someone care to explain?"

"Lexi, this Bucky Barnes, a very good friend of mine."

"Oh yere, I remember, The Winter Soldier, right? Sorry I hacked SHIELD a while back."

Bucky looked surprised at the girl. She confused him. She noticed the look. She took a step forward and gave Bucky a hug. He looked really shocked, and then relaxed a little bit. Steve laughed at Bucky's face.

"Don't worry, we won't judge you. Do you know who Loki is?" Alexis asked as she pulled away. Bucky shook his head. "Well he tried to destroy New York, but now he's a good guy and I'm going out with him. You can do the same; well not go out with me but..."

"Lexi, calm down. Maybe we should go introduce him?" Steve noticed that Lex was confusing Bucky a bit.

"That's probably a good idea. Whatya think Bucky? Do you want to meet everyone?"

"Um, I suppose so. They won't hurt me will they?"

"No of course not. If they do Steve me and Nat will kick their asses won't we Nat?" She turned for conformation, but the red head was already gone.

_She's up here filling us in. I'll kick their ass too, and Thor probably will_

"Well from the sounds of it, the team like you" she told Bucky who stopped. He felt a hand on his arm, and looked to see it was Steve.

"She can read minds, and she had a mind link with Loki. She can also do some pretty nifty tricks with air and fire."

"She seems nice."

They began to follow her but she popped out of existence. Bucky raised his eyebrows.

"Yere she can teleport too. She's a great girl, but she's had a tough time. We all have."

"I'll fit right in. Any pretty ladies?" Steve laughed, and Bucky began to. That was the Bucky he knew.

"None that are single. A quick warning, it's now legal to be in a same-sex relationship, and 2 of the newer members are dating so, just don't be too shocked."

"Oh, um okay I suppose."

"Come on then, let's go find everyone else." Steve said to Bucky, and they got in the elevator.


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23: Let's take the opportunity to appreciate what we have

The charity ball was rescheduled for that night, and the team were discussing whether Bucky should go. They were all arguing over it, some saying he should, some saying he shouldn't. It got to the point where Bruce slammed his book down on the table, which shut everyone up, and told them it was up to Bucky. Bucky had been sitting there awkwardly, not wanting to upset anyone. When Bruce spoke, everyone looked at Bucky for a decision.

"Um, I suppose it would be nice to go. See what the worlds like when I'm not trying to blow it up." He stuttered. Alexis laughed, thinking of how much he sounded like Loki.

"Well guys, I know you're mainly men and you just have to throw a suit on, but me and Nat need to get ready." Alexis said, standing up. Nat followed suit. They walked out the room, talking about how they were going to do their hair. The men all looked at each other and then laughed. Oh how little the women knew about men. They all began to head down to the ballroom, where the even was being held, to finish preparations. Steve and Bucky were catching up, talking about what had happened since they'd last seen each other.

"So, what's the deal with you and Romanoff?" Bucky asked Steve as they were hanging up the last of the banners, declaring that the ball was in aid of the Avengers World Help charity. They'd set it up after New York to help pay for all the messes they left behind.

"Well, we've been partners for ages, and it just developed. I hope don't think I'm stealing your girl."

Steve gave a quick look around. Luckily everyone else had wandered back upstairs to get ready.

"Stevey boy, of course I don't. It was the Red Room; it was a long time ago. She's yours. Just don't hurt her otherwise I will not hesitate to kick your butt."

"I think you have already spent too much time with us." Both men turned when they heard the drawling voice. Loki stepped out of the shadows with his hands up.

"Don't worry, I already guessed. Luckily for you two, I disabled the cameras when I heard where your little chat was going."

Bucky looked really confused about what Loki was talking about.

"Tony installed cameras in every room. And when me and Lex got together, everyone in the team threatened to kill me if I hurt her. You'll fit right in." Loki elaborated then slunk back into the shadows. Steve and Bucky looked at each other, and then began to head back to their rooms.

_3 hours later_

They all gathered in the lounge before heading down to the ballroom. Nat and Alexis were the last ones in. When they walked in, wearing the dresses they'd bought from the back street shop, everyone was gobsmacked. They looked unearthly, so beautiful that they looked almost as if they were from legend. Tony had to slap Loki on the back of the head to stop the demi-god from looking at Lex as if she was a piece of meat. Lex laughed in her head at that. Loki and Steve walked over to them and took theirs arms, Clint giving Nat and Steve a shocked look.

Clint was pissed off. He'd been allowed to stay in the team, but was on restricted access. On top of that, he'd been withdrawn from the field. His aim tonight was to get drunk. Luke looked as if his plan was somewhat similar.

As they walked into the ballroom, a bright flash of cameras went up in their faces. They all smiled, and answered the mandatory questions before heading towards different groups of people. About halfway through the night, of which Alexis had spent bored out of her mind talking to some military buff, Tony brought a small brunette over to her.

"Lexi, I would like you meet Cali." Tony said, with a grin on his face. He was positively glowing.

"It's great to finally meet you Cali. Think we're going to get on great." Alexis said, pulling the woman into a hug, and smiled at Tony. They chatted for about 5 minutes, before Lex felt a tap on her back. She turned around; expecting to see Loki but saw it was a man she'd never seen before. He was about 6ft and had silver hair, and snow white skin. He was wearing a black 3 piece, and his cufflinks were snowflakes. His eyes were the colour of ice. He looked as if he was made out of winter itself. He was striking, she could defiantly say that. She felt a small wave of jealousy from Loki, who talking to Steve at the other side of the room, over the bond.

_Not my type. You don't have to worry_

_That's good babe_

"May I have this dance, Firefly? And may I say your name does not give you the justice you deserve." The man said, reaching down to kiss her hand. She let him, while thinking up a response.

"You may." They began to walk towards the area in the middle of the room that was being used as a dance floor. The song began; a slow waltz. They danced in silence for about a minute before the man began to talk.

"You've changed."

"Pardon? Do I know you?"

"You used to. But that doesn't matter now. You're in danger."

"I'm an avenger, it's my job."

"Not that sort of danger. A different type. You can't…. how can I put it?" He gave a quick look around, as if he was being watched. "Everything you know, everything you believed in, everything you trusted isn't what you think it is. IF you want to keep things as they are, keep everything you've gained, you have to act now."

"What's the danger? And who are you? I'm not going to trust a random person who claims to know me."

"The danger is a snake in your midst. They're someone you trust, even if you don't realise it. You have to look inside yourself otherwise you won't make it. "

"Why shouldn't I just teleport you in to the cells right now, and torture the information out of you?" She was beginning to get annoyed. The next song had started and they were still dancing. Loki tried to find out why, but she blocked him.

"That's not your style. Well, it never used to be." The longer they talked, the more…human he became. His skin started to warm up, and his cheeks began to colour, like winter changing into spring.

"Who the hell are you?"

"A friend. You may never have counted me as one, but I always counted you as one. I've changed since then, but so have you."

The second song ended and they stopped dancing right in the middle of the crowd. The man kissed Lex's hand again, and held it.

"I must go now. Just remember what I said. It could save your life." He let go of her hand, and all the colour and warmth instantly drained from him. He took a step back, bowed and began to walk away. He took a few steps before Alexis called out," Please, just tell me your name."

He turned around and gave her an impish grin.

"My name is Jack Frost." As soon as the last sound left his mouth, he melted into the crowd. Alexis stood there in a confused daze, and then realised there was something on her wrist. She looked down and on the wrist of the hand he'd kissed dangled a snowflake pendant hanging on a chain that looked as if it was made of frost.

Alexis snuck out the crowd, managing to avoid any of the avengers. She headed out of the room by the emergency exit, and headed to her room. She needed to find out who Jack Frost was.


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24: Change is good, isn't it?

Alexis sat down in front of her laptop, and began to hack into SHIELD's database. She could just log in, but if she tried to access restricted stuff, it would sat of an alarm. She did a database search for Jack Frost, and came up with 2 results. One was a file on the legend of Jack Frsot, and the other was a profile. She opened the profile and began to read.

_Name: Unknown_

_Alias: Jack Frost_

_Power: Control over winter_

_Status: Failed super solider_

_Level of danger: Low_

_Mental status: Stable_

_Affiliations: None currently, recently volunteered this information after severing connections with Longstaff corporations, of which his sister is head._

_Family: Orphan, one sister, status: Alive. Name: Jessi Moore._

Alexis read the last line, and all the memories came flooding back. He had changed. His name was Jack, but it was Jack Moore. He'd been a sickly boy and he was always cold and looked as if he'd had frostbite. He was a bit younger than her, but they got on really well. He'd been sweet relief from Jessi, and couldn't see how they were related. It was just like her to exploit him. They only knew each other for about a month, until Luke and her had to move on. The last time she'd seen Jack, she gave him a kiss on the cheek and told him he'd get better. When she hugged him, he'd become more human, like he had tonight.

"I see you found out then." Alexis looked up and saw that Jack was sitting in the window.

"Why did she do that to you?" She stood up and went and sat in facing him int the window seat. He looked down at his hands, which had frost creeping up them.

"I never really meant much to her. I was just another mouth to feed, but when she gained some power at Longstaff, I became useful. As a guinea pig. It was a while back, about a year after you left. The super soilder experiment wasn't the first they did on me, first they injected me with genes from different mutants. I suppose that's why I got the powers I did." He shrugged and looked up at her. If anyone had seen them, they would have thought they were fire and ice. In the reddish glow cast by the street lights outside, Alexis looked as if she was on fire, her hair casting out a reddish glow. Jack looked as if he was made from pure ice, almost as if he was glowing blue.

"Your worth so much more. You just haven't had the chance to show it yet." She reached over and took his hand. The frost began to retreat, and his began to turn warm.

"Well, it depends who you talk too. I've done some bad things. I've killed people, sunshine." Alexis' eyes flashed gold when he used his old nicknsme for her, but in the light it looked as if her eyes turned red.

"So have I moon. We all have at some point. The thing is, we may feel bad, but we have to move on. If we dwell on it, it overcomes us, and then they can control us."

One night, when Jessi and Luke were out, they'd snuck out onto the roof of the house they were in. They sat there , watching the stars, talking about who they never wanted to be controlled , and if it meant that they had to live like they were forever, they would.

"Jessi controlled me. She said she would find you and kill you right in front of me." Jack looked into her eyes, and his eyes were filled with hurt and worry. She realised then that she may have forgotten him to a degree, but he had never forgotten her.

"She would have had a job until now. We covered out tracks well." Alexis said with confidence, but threads of doubt were beginning to creep inot her mind. Had they?

"You had. Luke didn't." Jack muttered under his breathe, but Alexis heard it.

"What?" She was shocked. Luke may have betrayed her, but it was life he had to protect too.

"He kept up contact with Jessi. Sent her updates on his location and that kind of thing. She hates you, and the only way she'll be satisfied is if you were dead." Alexis stared at him, hoping he would flash her a cheeky grin that would say tha it was a massive wind up, but it never came. He was telling the truth. Shit shit shit shit.

"He's the one I shouldn't trust isn't he." Jack nodded.

"I'm sorry sunshine. Jessi needed a back up plan incase I failed. That's what I was designed for. To be brain washed and to kill you. They underestimated how much I loved you though." Alexis' head shot up. Jack gave her an awkward grin and ran his hand through his hair.

"I'm going out with Loki but thank you. What's their plan of action?" She wanted to move on from that comment. She looked away.

"They're going to attack. Soon. It's going to be big. It's gonna rival your boyfriends show."

"Oh shit. Are you going to-" She turned back, and he was gone. She shook her head. Well then, she better get ready, hadn't she?

As she stood up, she felt a wind pulling her back towards the window. In through the window fluttered a note. It was hand written, hastily done. She grabbed it and read it.

_Sunshine, I had to go cause your boyfriend is coming to find you. Don't tell anyone about what's gonna happen. It's your fight, but I will help you if need be. _

She stared at the note, and one thought ran through her head.

Would he?


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25: There's a time to fight, but a time to give up, right?

She stood there; staring out the window and thinking until she felt a pair of arms slink round her waist and someone nuzzle her neck. She leant back. No matter who loved her, her feelings hadn't changed.

"Why are you hiding up here babes?" Loki murmured into her ear.

"Headache." She hated lying to him, but she had to.

"You want me to help? I've got a spell that might help." His voice was littered with concern. Lex smiled. It was so sweet.

"No, it's alright. Shall we go back down? I haven't danced with you yet." She wanted to get out of the room.

"It would be my pleasure. In Asgard…" Loki took her arm and they walked back to the ballroom.

They danced all night. In the end, through donations (mainly Tony's) they made over a million dollars.

_1 week later_

Lex woke up in the middle of night, grasping the sheets. She'd had another nightmare; she'd been having them every night, each one worse than the last. Loki had been banned by Tony from sleeping in the same room as her, so he had no idea. When she realised it wasn't real, she began to untangle herself from her sheets and went to find food. She went downstairs and found some popcorn, and turned on the telly. On the screen was a picture of Central Park. It was a mess. She'd seen pictures from after Loki's attempted takeover, and this was 10 times worse. She jumped up, and while materialising her suit shouted out," Jarvis, Code Delate Red. I'm heading out, get the others to follow." She teleported into the park. What she saw would haunt her for the rest of her life.

Jessi was standing in the middle of the street, holding Luke at knife point. Surrounding her were men, mutants and things. They looked as if they were failed super soldiers.

"You may be a member of the avengers, but look whose come out of this better. You always acted as if you were better than me, but you weren't. To prove it I'm going to destroy one of the most precious things to you." She definitely hadn't changed. She used the same mocking tone that she had 4 years ago.

"Tell me how you plan on doing that. If your idea is to do something to Luke, than it's really not going to work. Sorry to foil your plan to destroy me, but it's really not going to work."

Jessi laughed and threw Lex a mocking, pitying look. "You stupid bitch, you don't get it do you? If I get to you, then I will tear your petty little team apart at the seams. Then it will be a piece of cake to take over New York and from there the world."

"Well done in telling us your plan, now we can stop you." Tony landed in front of Alexis. In her peripheral vision, she could see the rest of avengers lining up in a V-shape. Grateful as she was for back up; there was one person she wanted to check on. Casting her thoughts out, she searched for Jake. His walls were down.

_Hun I know this hard but we need to stop her, even if it means losing Luke in the process._

_Shut up. You're the reason we're in this situation._

Alexis recoiled as if she'd been slapped. That was it.

"Jessi bring it on. Do what you want; we will kick your ass. Even if we can't save the earth, we'll damn well avenge it." She held her head high. They would win this, and hopefully Luke would come out of this alive.

"Alright you stupid bitch. Alpha force, attack" Jessi shouted, then raised a syringe to the air and stabbed into Luke's neck. Jake screamed. The things in front of them began to run forward and attack.

"Spread out, attack from all directions." Steve shouted while throwing his shield out at one of the things. The thing fell over, and began to shrink. The team spread out, and began to fight. Iron man flew above, and tried to distract the mutants surrounding Jessi while Clint shot at them with his arrows. Steve and Nat were fighting trying to take out the things, while Lex, Loki and Jake blasted everything in sight with their magic, trying to get to Luke and Jessi. Jake was fighting the hardest. He'd just seen the one he loved harmed, and was out for pay back. A flash of lightening, and Thor appeared, and began to aid Steve and Nat by hitting things with his hammer. Peter and Hulk were moving from bit to bit, helping out whoever needed it. Bucky was shooting at the men around Jessi, who looked rather scared. They should have been.

A maniacal laugh boomed out. Luke was standing next to Jessi.

"You have failed already Avengers. How will you fair fighting against one of your own?" Jessi pointed at Alexis, and Luke began to walk towards her. Steve realised who he looked like: the brainwashed Bucky.

"Alexis she's done something to his mind" he shouted out. Alexis nodded at him.

"How do I stop him?"

"Hit him really hard in the head." Nat shouted out. Why did everyone think that brainwashing was the solution to everything? She thought.

Alexis turned around and ran. She had a plan, but whether it work or not depended on promise, and an icy one at that. The team turned to look at her, confused.

_Lex what the hell are you doing? _Loki shouted at her

_Please trust me on this. If it fails, well then, follow up on my promise please. Let's just hope it doesn't come to that hey?_

_Lex the spell you're immo….._

_No I'm not. I'm only immortal if I want to live, and if I'm worthy. That's what the spell means, and believe me, I'm not worthy. Jake knows I'm not._

She blocked off the link. If she died she didn't want to have to put Loki through that. She stopped running and turned around. Like she'd hoped Luke had followed.

"Luke you don't have to do this."

"Who's Luke? I am not Luke." He spoke in an emotionless monotone.

"You are." She took a step forward. "Smiles are like band aids, they cover the cuts but the pain doesn't go away, whereas friends are like stiches, they may hurt but they're better in the long run. Do you remember that?"

Luke stood there. "I must kill you." He spoke like a robot. That did for Alexis. He was truly dead.

"Well I'm not planning on dying so you better hope that you have butt insurance."

They began to fight. It was an even match. Neither of them used magic, but it seemed that Luke had retained his memories of Lex's fighting style. They kicked and punched for what seemed like hours but must have only been minutes. In the end Luke managed to pin Alexis to the ground, and put a knife to her throat. The avengers didn't notice, because Jessi had called in Beta force to distract them. She didn't scream. She didn't want to die but she deserved it.

"You're a stupid little butch, you know that? You will never be better than The Mistress." Alexis spat in his face. Luke pressed the knife in harder. Before her throat was slit, Alexis whispered, "I lost my sunshine. I'm so cold."

Darkness covered her like a warm blanket, and she smiled. If this was death, then it was warm.


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26: Seeing is deceiving, dreaming is believing

Loki POV

"LEX NOOOOO" I screamed as I saw the blood trickled down her neck. In that instant I felt my heart die. I never thought I'd feel this, tried so hard to avoid it but had succumbed. At least it was to her. I fell to my knees. If she was gone there was no point in fighting. She would want me to keep going but what did I have left to hang on to?

Luke POV

My head hurt so much .I shook my head. I looked down. I was holding her limp, blood soaked body. I'd done what I'd always feared I would do. I'd hurt her beyond the limits of this earth. I'd killed her. I pulled her limp body to my chest and felt something hard press into me. It was a necklace that she'd been wearing. It was a crescent moon. She'd given it me but after she told me I was dead to her, I'd dropped it as I ran out the room. She must have picked it up. She still held part of me close. I guess death wasn't a good enough reason to let go. I began to sob and rock, like she was a sleeping baby. I was a murderer. Before she'd come back, like she did with the hell hound, but this time she was truly gone. I could feel it.

Jack POV

I got there just in time to see him slit her throat. She murmured something that only I would understand. It was a code we'd come up with for when she got low, and didn't want Luke and Jessi to know. She was depending on me. I ran over and hit Luke over the head with all the strength I could gather. He shook his head and came to his senses and realised what he'd done. I crouched down by her and brushed her hair back from her face. She looked as if she was sleeping. Maybe she was. Luke began rocking her, and I heard a jingle. I looked at her wrist and gave a small, weak smile. She was still wearing the bracelet. I glanced around the park. The avengers were in shock, but most tried to keep fighting. I saw Loki kneeling on the floor. He must be in agony I thought. An idea started to form in my head. I began to realise why Lex called on me instead of Loki, after all they were bonded or some hippy dippy thing like that. I'd dreamt of this moment, but not like this. Oh well, here goes nothing. I leant over and kissed her.

Alexis POV

_It's warm here. I like it. No pain, no regrets, just weightlessness. In the back of my mind I can hear an echo, but I can't make out what it is. It begins to clear, and I realise what it is. It's the sound of who I am. Every name I've had, everything that makes me, well me. It sounds like a fire crackling, but a summer breeze as well. The breeze begins to take over, whispering, "Wake up my dear, it's not your time yet" through my head. I recognise the voice, but can't place it. Light slowly fills my mind, expanding until it goes beyond the reaches in which it thought it could. It hurts; it feels like my minds on fire. I'm being burned alive. The blackness fills everything, and I wake up._

I feel lips on mine, and they're definitely not Loki's. My eyes flick open and look into Jack's. He pulls back, and I draw a deep breathe. It begins to sink in. I died and Jack saved me by breathing life into me. I pull him in for a hug and murmur in his hear, "Thank you." Luke decided at that point to stop crying. He looked at me as if I was a ghost, so I head slapped him.

"Lexi, you're you're-"

"Alive? What did you expect? I wasn't going to die. Jack had my back." I flashed Jack a smile. He gave me a small sickly one back, and I saw he was shaking.

"Who's Jack?" Luke asked.

"Jessi's brother and I owe him my life, literally so play nice." I stood up and put my hand to my throat. All that was left was a jagged scar. Not a big payment for my life. I turned around and held out my hands to them. "We need to work together to defeat Jessi. Please."

Jack took my hand instantly and after a small pause, so did Luke. I beamed a megawatt smile, and began to walk towards Jessi. Loki looked up as I passed him and he had such a stupid look of confusion on his face, I wish I'd had a camera. As I walked through the fighting, they all moved out the way. Jake joined our little group and slunk his hand into Luke's. Jessi's minions looked outright scared at the fact that I was still alive. Nat flashed me a small smile as she was fighting. At least one person hadn't given up on me. I began to climb the mound Jessi had declared hers, and faced her. Confusion flashed across her face for a second, and then she composed herself.

"You don't die, do you? Don't you realise that no one wants you here, you stupid bitch?" Jessi taunted, not realising that she'd lost.

"You're the one who isn't wanted Jessi. I keep coming back because I have a reason to live. What's yours? Your brother saved my life, you've lost the battle and you didn't even manage to completely turn Luke against me." I began to stalk forward, and Luke, Jake and Jack began to spread out. The rest of the Avengers follow and we surround her. Fear begins to creep through Jessi's poker face. I move forward until I'm one step away from her, and look into her eyes.

"You have a choice. Hand yourself in, and we'll be nicer than you deserve. Resist and we'll make it very, very painful, 10x more painful than what you did to Jack." I turn my head slightly and flash a grin at Jack. He gives me his signature smirk. He's stopped shaking now. "You have 10 secs, kapeesh?"

Jessi looks at her feet.

"9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2-"

"I'll come." Jessi murmurs at the ground. I smirk.

"Repeat that a bit louder. I didn't quite catch the last bit." I was enjoying this.

"I'll come bitch. But don't expect to answer any of your questions." As soon as the words were out her mouth, I began to whisper, binding her and then teleporting her into the cells at the tower. I turned around and grinned.

"Hands up who thought I was dead." I crossed my arms and gave them my best teacher look. Suddenly I got bowled over by an over protective (but with good reason) Tony.

"Alexis Green don't you ever do that to us again!" Tony growls at me, and I laugh.

"I promise Dad." I stood up and opened my arms. "Who wants a group hug?" Everyone moved over and we all huddled, then I noticed someone was missing.

"Back in a minute guys. Someone's missing." I ignore all the complaints and duck under everyone's arms. Sitting in a tree branch is Jack. I jump up into the branches and perch next to him.

"What's up Moon? You saved my life; you should be down there with us."

"I don't' belong with you guys Sunshine, after everything I've done-"

"Jack, the past is exactly that. This is now. You have to move on. Come back to the tower with us, even just for the night. I want to catch up with you properly, and I bet you Tony's going to what to thank you. Please."

Jack looked down at the ground, his face covered by his hair. He lifted his head and flashed me a grin.

"Alright, I'll come. Have you got any candyfloss?"

"Of course, don't you know me?" Jack laughed, and we jumped out the tree.

"Race you to the group." Jack challenged, and began to run.

"You bet!" I called out, and of course, I beat him.

**A/N: Heya guys, I was wondering, do you want me to make a sequel? I will if there's enough response, otherwise there's no point. Thanks for reading this far, I really appreciate it!**


	27. Chapter 27 Epilogue

Chapter 27/ Epilogue: So this is the end

Alexis POV

I couldn't sleep. After everything that had happened I was exhausted but my mind was wide awake. I couldn't help thinking that this was the only chance I would get to speak to Jessi alone. I sighed and swung my legs out of bed into my slippers then teleported downstairs so I was directly in front of the holding cell. Jessi was sat there, almost as if she was expecting me.

"You came then finally." She said. She was looking at me, but not at me, as if I was a ghost.

"Yep. I thought you'd like a friendly face before Bruce injects the truth serum tomorrow." I said sarcastically and plonked my butt on the spinny chair which was in front of the control panel.

"They won't get anything out of me. Truth serums won't work." Her voice was laced with confidence. Cocky bitch.

"Trust me we will. We'll get every single dirty secret you ever had. Never under estimate us, or we may "lose control" of the amount of drugs we use on you. Not all of us are scared of Fury you know." I replied mockingly.

She shook her head and chuckled under her breathe.

"You really are stupid aren't you? You don't get it. I'm immune to every single truth serum you can think of. I made sure of it."

"Seriously, is that the best you can think of? Immunisation to drugs is ancient. We have two geniuses, two Asgardians, a bunch of baddass know-it-all's which in includes Steve, and a bunch of magic users. We won't be stopped. Now if you don't mind I'll ask you what I came down here for. You obviously weren't working alone. Who gave you access to all the equipment, all the men because ant have no power over the boot do they, sewer rat?" I was enjoying this. She was still the annoying bitch who always underestimated me. Leopards never change their spots, do they?

"You'll work it out. They're after you, and it's for more than a grudge. You hold a certain… quality which they require, and your little pawns won't be able to save you. Now, where's room service." She flashed me a grin. I spun the chair and pressed a button. A gallon of freezing water got dumped on Jessi's head, and she screamed. I flicked my hair and walked out. Oh the sweet taste of pay back.

I headed up to the kitchen to find popcorn. Sitting on one of the bar stools was Luke. I sauntered over and sat next to him.

"I cut again Lexi. I was clean. That bitch, she pushed me too far. The drug, it was almost nice. I was at peace."

"Well it bloody well wasn't for me and Jake. I couldn't see you like that." I leaned over and gave him a hug.

"Oh god, I'm getting a hug."

"Shut up idiot." I pulled back. "You can't let yourself get that down again hun. One day it'll push you too far. Come find me if you get down, Kapeesh?" He may have hurt me, but we needed to help each other. I pulled the necklace over my head and put it over his. He gave me a ghost of a smile.

"Lex, what are we going to do? Should we stay here or shall we run away? Go back to how we were, wild, free."

"I can't go back to that. I'm a different now to who I was, and we're Avengers. We can't just turn our backs on the world."

"I think I'm going to take that placement in Switzerland. I need to get away from here. I'll come back though." He looked almost scared of how I was going to react.

"Go for it. It's your life and it's not like you're going AWOL like I did. I came always come visit." He looked almost relieved. "Does Jake know?" Luke shook his head.

"I'm thinking about breaking up. He wouldn't want to leave, and he's been acting weird at the moment." Luke looked like he was about to burst into tears. I hugged him again, and this time he let me.

"What kind of weird hun?" I murmured into his ear.

"He's hiding stuff from me, and he's being really hypocritical of me."

I pulled back. "Then maybe it's for the best. Do you want to go sleep in my room, and then do it in the morning?" He nodded.

"Night Lex and thanks."

"Any time hun." He turned around and walked out. It felt weird talking things over without the link but it was for the best.

I stood up and then went to the popcorn cupboard. I eat so much of it that I have my own cupboard for it, like Thor had a Pop Tart cupboard. Wait; make that Pop Tart room, he eats that many. We have a 10-at-a-time toaster just so he can have them. I got out the toffee popcorn and began to stand up.

"Can I have some." Said a voice from behind me. It scared the life out of me, and my head shot up. Straight into the cupboard door. Aw hell. I turned around I saw Jack failing to keep a straight face.

"Because of that, no. Anyway, no one eats my popcorn." I said, with a childish frown at my face. He bent over laughing, and then so did I.

"God sunshine stop being so over protective. Wanna watch NCIS with me?" he leans on the counter, giving me a cheesy seductive grin. Seriously, I'm taken.

"YES!" I scream and jump over the couch. I **LOVE** NCIS.

Jack follows me, and tries to grab some of my popcorn. I slap his hand away. God, does this guy have a sponge for a head?

About halfway through Jack starts to fidget awkwardly. I look at him expectantly. He only fidgets when he's trying to ask something.

"Um, sunshine, has everything been alright with you and Loki? It's just that you haven't spoken with him since like, before you um…" The subject I didn't want to breach. Shit.

"Died? I know. He's been really moody since the ball thing. I don't know what to about it. I want to stay with him, but I think we've run our course." I looked down at my popcorn, trying not to cry. I felt an arm around my neck, and leant onto Jack's chest. He began to stroke my hair.

"I think we have." I turned around to see Loki in the doorway. I stand up and face him.

"So this is the end of you and me." I say it as a fact, but it feels like a question.

_I'm sorry babe but it's not right to string you along. I just don't li-_

_End it right there. I know where this is going._

We look into each other's eyes. He turns away and walks down the corridor. I turn around and run to the couch. Jack opens his arms and I fall into him and cry. I fall asleep on his chest, with tears still streaming down my face.

_Next day_

When I wake up the links gone. My head is finally silent. I hate it. Tony's tapping me and Jack on our shoulders.

"Lexi, Luke's going now. Come say good bye." I crawl off the sofa and brush all the popcorn crumbs off me. I teleport downstairs. Luke's standing in the lobby, his face red like he's been crying, arms wrapped tightly around himself as if he's trying to stop himself falling apart. I run over and hug him. We both start crying.

"So I suppose this is goodbye then." I mutter.

"Yere but only for a year or two, and I'm still an Avenger."

"Good."

Luke looks behind me, and I turn and see Jack leaning against the doorway. Luke walks over to Jack and stands in front of him.

"Look after her. Please. You did a good job of it before, better than me, and she hasn't got me and Loki to back her up anymore."

"Don't worry, I will." Luke nods then comes over to me.

"Look after yourself. I'm only a call away." A horn beeps outside. "That's my ride."

I pull him into another massive hug. Then let him go. He nods at me then walks outside.

Me and Jack walk upstairs in silence. What can we say? All the avengers were in lounge, so we headed there. When I walked in, everyone looked up at me.

"So where next bitches?"

"Lexi, language!" Tony says from the couch.

"Coming from you dad!" Everyone laughs and me and Jack just sit down before the room starts flashing red.

"Everyone suit up!" Steve shouts.

Me and Jack look at each other and roll our eyes at each other.

"Cliché!" me and Jack shout. We stand up and jump out the window. I hear Tony scream "ALEXIS!". Hehe

**A/N: Heya guys, thanks for reading it to the end. I think I'm going to do a sequel because Alexis has become part of me and I have to. Also, I wanted to say this roughly based on my life. My OC's are all based on people I know and hold dear, and if you haven't guessed Alexis is based on me. Till next time!**

**BTW spinny chairs are awesome**


	28. AN

**A/N Heya guys, the sequels up so I hope you like it, please PM me with plot ideas .**

**Ciao xxx**


	29. REVIEWING NOTICE

**A/N So I've decided that because I'm not writing new chapters I'm going to review all my stories and check for typos/grammar mistakes, and hopefully improve some chapters. Seeing as this was my first story, it needs editing A LOT! Hopefully doing this will kick start my brain and generate some ideas. Thanks for reading!**


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